Download Software Online Casinos for Australians
Today you can play casino games on a number of electronic devices and different platforms. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. The important thing to note is that online casinos allow you to switch from one to the other under the same registration. We will take you through the different platforms so that you can select what works best for you at a particular time. Online casino gambling started in 1995 on download software. For several years it was the only option available. It still caters to a significant section of the Australian online gambling community and therefore we explain it in this section.
Benefits of Download Casino Software
- Quality of the games is superior with better graphics, sounds & overall game play
- The selection of games is greater with more options than the no download alternative
- The game play is more reliable with less frequent software errors or diruptions
Download casino software FAQ
What is download casino software?
As its name suggests, download casino software has to be downloaded and installed on your desktop or laptop computer. You can do this from the web site of the online casino following the simple procedure outlined there. The downloading would take five to ten minutes depending on the speed of your Internet connection. The download software packages tend to be large in size. What happens is a section of the best games with the administrative functions is downloaded first, so you are ready to play immediately. The remaining games are then downloaded in sequence while you are playing on the others. Your account is maintained on the online casino server and every bet affects that account whether you win or lose. So you still need to be connected to the online casino via the Internet in order to play, even though the software is installed on your system.
What platforms / operating systems is download software available on?
When online casino software was developed in the middle 1990s, the most popular operating system was Windows. Therefore the software was developed to be compatible with Windows. It will work on all PCs and laptops that are powered by Windows. This left out Mac users. Some online casino download software has been developed for Mac computers on OS X platform, but it has not been very popular. There are utilities available that allow software for PCs to work on Mac devices. Again, these have not gained much popularity. For the greater part online casino gambling was in the PCs – Windows domain in the preliminary years.
The question does arise as to why the major software providers like Microgaming and Playtech did not develop a package for Mac computers. It could be because they were developing the no download software as a general product compatible with all operating systems.
Who are the top providers of casino download software?
Today the top providers of casino download software to Australian operators are Microgaming and Playtech. They are among the longest serving software providers as well. There are some other providers with casino download software, but are not that popular in Australia. Microgaming and Playtech have the largest collection of online casino games in their download software with a focus on online pokies, which are extremely popular in Australia. Both these software providers continue to develop their download software, keeping it updated in quantity and quality.
The Microgaming download casino software currently has over 600 titles. The pokies section includes about 330 video pokies and 100 classic pokies. The other major categories are 75 table games and 60 video poker games. The break-up of the Playtech download casino software is as follows: 15 classic pokies, 200 video pokies, 41 table games, 30 arcade games and 30 scratch cards. The total is over 340 titles.
What are the benefits to playing download casino software?
The biggest benefit of the download casino software is the significantly larger games portfolio. This is the oldest platform by far. Some of the older games are available on the newer no download and mobile platforms. But many of them are still exclusively available on the download platform, especially in the case of Microgaming. Old time Australian players are nostalgic about these games.
Because the games are installed on your desktops or laptops, there is minimal interaction between your computer and the online casino server. So you can comfortably play these games even with slightly lower Internet speeds. The screen will not freeze or buffer even with the rich audio visual content of contemporary online pokies. Download casino software is also more convenient to initialize. The download process leaves the online casino icon on the desktop. Double clicking that icon loads the online casino on your screen in a couple of minutes at most.
Downloading and installing online casino software
In order to download and install the casino software you will have to go through the following procedure. Each online casino would have minor differences so you would need to look at the instructions as they appear on the screen.
Access the web site of the online casino. There will be a prominent Download button on the home page. Click on that button. A message will appear on the screen asking you to confirm that you want to download that file. Click on the Yes button. The file will be instantly downloaded in your Downloads folder. Initialise the set up by clicking the icon in the Downloads folder, giving it permission to make changes in the hard disc. The Microgaming and Playtech download casino software is virus free and malware free. If you have an anti-virus programme it will confirm this. Once the installation process commences you will be asked to register. Fill in all the fields completely and correctly. At the end of the registration process you will be given a user id and a password. Change the password after your first log in. By the time this process is complete, a basic set of games will have been downloaded. You can make your deposit and start wagering on these, while the rest get downloaded.
Disadvantages of download casino software
The biggest disadvantage of download casino software, as mentioned before, is that it is compatible with only Windows operating system. This disadvantage has been neutralised by the no download software.
Another big disadvantage is the size of the software. After all the games have been downloaded it can get massive. The size keeps growing with the addition of every new game. If you are playing at more than one Australian download casino then the size multiplies. All that software eats into your computer storage space and slows down your processing speed. The problem will be more acute if you still on a desktop or laptop that is more than five years old. In the no download software the games are stored on the online casino’s server. You access the games from there, open and play them in your browser without using any permanent storage.
As mentioned earlier, a small set of games downloads first and then the games download in sequence every time you connect to open the casino software. With 600 games in the Microgaming download platform this takes time. Quite often a game you want to play will not have been downloaded. So you will have to initialise the download manually and wait for a few minutes.