Guide · Updated July 2026
When you load up a slot or a live blackjack table at Pantherbet, 10bet or Hollywoodbets, you're not actually playing something built in-house by that casino. You're playing a game built by a separate company — a software provider, sometimes called a studio or developer — that specialises purely in designing, coding, testing and certifying casino games, then licenses those games out to dozens or even hundreds of different online casinos worldwide. The casino's job is to integrate that provider's games into its own platform, wrap them in its own cashier, account system and promotions, and present them to you as part of its overall game library. The provider's job is everything happening inside the game itself: the math model, the reel mechanics, the graphics, the random number generator, and the regulatory certification that proves the game is fair.
This is a fundamentally different business structure from how a lot of people initially assume online casinos work. There's no single "Pantherbet slot factory" churning out proprietary games exclusively for that one site. Instead, a handful of major studios — Pragmatic Play being the most visible one on this site's tracked operators — build games once, get them certified by independent testing labs and licensed by relevant gambling authorities, and then distribute that same game to any casino willing to integrate it. That's why you'll often see the exact same slot title, with identical mechanics and RTP, available at multiple unrelated casinos — it's literally the same piece of software running on each platform, just wrapped in different site branding.
Understanding this distinction matters for a few practical reasons. First, it explains why a game's fairness and RNG certification is tied to the provider, not the casino — a reputable, independently audited provider brings a baseline of trust to a game regardless of which casino happens to be hosting it. Second, it explains why some casinos have wildly different game libraries from others despite superficially similar branding — the providers each casino has struck licensing deals with determines what's actually available to play. And third, it's a useful lens for choosing where to play: a casino with deep integrations from well-established, licensed providers is generally a stronger signal of legitimacy than one running obscure or unverifiable game software.
Provider spotlight
Pragmatic Play is among the most widely distributed casino game studios globally, with a slot catalogue that's become a fixture at online casinos across many regulated markets, South Africa included.
Pantherbet's slot library is built with a strong Pragmatic Play focus, meaning a large share of the titles you'll find in its casino lobby come directly from this one studio.
Gates of Olympus, Sweet Bonanza and Big Bass Bonanza are all confirmed Pragmatic Play titles available at Pantherbet — three of the most recognisable slot names among South African players today.
Pragmatic Play titles tend to share recognisable interface conventions — similar autoplay menus, similar buy-feature placement, similar paytable layouts — which makes switching between its titles feel familiar once you've learned one.
Like most major studios, Pragmatic Play adds new titles to its catalogue on an ongoing basis, which is part of why "new slot release" roundups tend to feature its games prominently. See our new slot releases guide for the latest additions.
For a deeper look at Pragmatic Play's catalogue specifically, our best Pragmatic Play slots guide covers a wider spread of titles beyond the three named above, and our individual guides to Gates of Olympus, Sweet Bonanza and Big Bass Bonanza break each title down in detail.
Pragmatic Play is one prominent studio among a broader ecosystem of software providers that collectively supply the online casino industry. Rather than naming and making specific claims about studios beyond what's verified for this site's tracked operators, it's more useful to understand the general categories providers tend to fall into, since that framework applies no matter which casino you're browsing.
Slot-focused studios specialise primarily in video slots — designing reel mechanics, bonus features, math models and RTP structures. This is the largest and most visible category, since slots make up the bulk of most casino game libraries and the bulk of player time and spend. Live dealer studios operate real physical or virtual studios with human dealers, streaming equipment and game presentation software, powering the live blackjack, roulette, baccarat and game-show-style tables you'd find under a casino's "Live Casino" tab. Table game and RNG specialists build the computer-dealt (non-live) versions of blackjack, roulette, baccarat, poker variants and side-bet-enabled tables, often alongside a slot catalogue. Some studios specialise narrowly in one of these categories; others, including the largest names in the industry, operate across all three simultaneously, offering a casino operator a single integration point for slots, live tables and RNG table games together.
Whichever category a provider operates in, the credibility markers to look for are broadly the same: independent RNG testing and certification from a recognised testing lab, licensing tied to a legitimate gambling regulator, and a track record of titles actually appearing at multiple reputable, independently reviewed casinos rather than a single obscure operator. A provider whose games are trusted enough to be licensed across many regulated casinos worldwide has effectively been vetted many times over by many different regulatory processes — a meaningfully stronger signal than a provider whose only footprint is a handful of unfamiliar sites.
Mzansi Pro-Tip
When you're evaluating a new casino, take a quick look at which providers power its game library before you look at anything else on the lobby page. A casino built primarily around well-established, independently certified studios is a strong indirect signal that the operator has done its due diligence on integrations — those licensing deals typically require the casino itself to pass compliance checks from the provider's side too, not just the other way around. It's a similar logic to checking a casino's own gambling licence, covered in our how to verify a casino license guide: you're looking for a chain of independent verification, not just marketing claims.
It's also worth remembering that a game's RTP and volatility are fixed by the provider as part of the certified math model, not adjusted by the individual casino hosting it. If you've read that a particular slot has a published RTP figure, that number should hold regardless of which licensed casino you're playing it at — see our RTP in slots guide for how that figure is calculated and why it doesn't shift casino to casino.
The relationship between a software provider and an online casino runs through a licensing and integration process that's more involved than simply "plugging in" a game. A provider first builds and internally tests a game, then submits it to an independent testing laboratory for RNG fairness certification and RTP verification — a process that produces the audited figures you see referenced in game paytables and review sites. Once certified, the provider makes the game available through its own content aggregation platform, which individual casinos integrate into their own site via an API connection, allowing the casino to display the game inside its own lobby, apply its own branding around the game window, and route bets and payouts through its own player account system.
This is also why a casino's available game count can look so large — a single integration with one major provider might unlock hundreds of titles at once, since the casino isn't negotiating game-by-game but rather signing a broader content agreement with the studio. Larger casinos with more resources and stronger commercial relationships tend to integrate with more providers, which is part of why game library size and variety is a genuinely useful signal when comparing casinos, alongside licensing, payment options and bonus terms.
From a player's perspective, none of this integration complexity is visible day to day — you simply see a game tile in the lobby and click to play. But understanding that the game itself is an independently built, tested and licensed product, distinct from the casino's own systems, helps explain concepts you'll run into elsewhere on this site: why RTP figures are quoted per-game rather than per-casino, why the same slot behaves identically at different operators, and why a provider's own reputation is a factor worth weighing alongside a casino's licensing when deciding where to play. See our how random number generators work guide for the technical side of what makes a certified game fair in the first place.
Each of the three operators this site tracks takes a slightly different approach to its provider mix and overall library size, which is worth understanding if provider variety matters to your own play style. Pantherbet leans heavily into a Pragmatic Play-focused slot library, giving players deep access to some of the studio's most recognisable titles — Gates of Olympus, Sweet Bonanza and Big Bass Bonanza among them — rather than spreading thin across dozens of smaller providers. 10bet runs a considerably larger overall library at 1,200+ games, reflecting a broader set of provider integrations across slots and other game categories. Hollywoodbets offers 500+ titles specifically within its Spina Zonke-branded slots section, drawing on its own provider partnerships to build out that catalogue.
None of these approaches is objectively "better" in isolation — a deep, focused library from a top-tier studio can be just as satisfying as a broad, wide-ranging one, depending on whether you tend to have a handful of favourite titles you return to or prefer constantly exploring new games. If you're comparing operators specifically on game variety, our online slots hub and individual Pantherbet, 10bet and Hollywoodbets reviews break down each library in more depth, and our full casinos hub covers the complete comparison across every ranking factor this site evaluates, including provider mix.
Before you play
A game provider (or software studio) is a company that designs, builds, tests and certifies casino games, then licenses them to online casinos. The casino hosts and brands the game, but the provider builds the actual math model, mechanics and RNG.
Pantherbet's slot library has a strong Pragmatic Play focus, including confirmed access to titles like Gates of Olympus, Sweet Bonanza and Big Bass Bonanza.
The provider sets and certifies the RTP as part of the game's math model during independent testing. It doesn't change based on which licensed casino is hosting the game.
Because it's literally the same piece of licensed software. Providers build a game once and distribute it to any casino that integrates their content, which is why you'll see identical titles across unrelated operators.
No — each casino strikes its own licensing deals with different providers, which is why game libraries vary in size and content from one operator to another, even among reputable, well-established sites.
Look for independent RNG testing lab certification, licensing tied to a recognised gambling regulator, and distribution across multiple reputable, independently reviewed casinos rather than a single obscure site.
Sometimes, but not always — some studios specialise specifically in live dealer streaming and studio operations, while others operate across slots, live dealer and RNG table games all at once. See our live dealer streaming guide for more on how that side of the industry works.
No — withdrawal processing is entirely a casino-side and payment-provider-side matter, unrelated to which game studio built the slot or table you were playing.
10bet runs a broad library of 1,200+ games and Hollywoodbets offers 500+ titles under its Spina Zonke slots section, each reflecting their own set of provider partnerships. See our individual 10bet review and Hollywoodbets review for more on each library.