TYPES OF CASINO SOFTWARE

When playing at online casinos, there are two basic ways that you can play the games - flash or download. Not all online casinos offer flash games, but they are becoming more popular and both offer casino support. All online casinos offer download versions of their games. As with all choices, there are advantages and disadvantages to both types of casino software.

Advantages of Flash Casino Games

Flash games are games that are coded in flash which means that they are played on web servers. In other words, they are no download, instant games. All players have to do is click on the link for the game and begin playing - no mess, no fuss. Flash gaming is quick and convenient as you do not have to spend time downloading the whole casino, just individual games and you do not have to take up large amounts of space on your computer with downloaded casino games. Playing in a flash version allows you to play from any computer - you are not restricted to the computer on which you downloaded the games - in other words, it gives you more portability. Players are also not limited to playing on PC computers when they play flash versions - they can play on any computer that has an Internet connection, a compliant browser and Flash installed, such as Mac.

Disadvantages of Flash Casino Games

If you have an unstable Internet connection or your connection is particularly slow, you may find that the games will stop and start if you try to play in a flash version. Often the graphics and sounds are not as realistic in flash casinos as in download casinos, although this is improving. Flash casinos also tend to offer fewer casino games - sometimes as little as one third of those that are available through the corresponding download casino.

Advantages of Download Casino Games

Download casino games require you to download software from the site and save it onto the hard drive of your computer. Once the game is downloaded and saved, you will be able to open it any time without having to worry about the integrity of your Internet connection. Generally, download casinos offer more games with superior sounds and graphics to flash casinos. You often find smoother game play, card dealing and reel spinning in download versions of the software. Download casinos allow players to receive the latest news, casino bonus information and casino updates automatically within the casino software.

Disadvantages of Download Casino Games

Once you have downloaded software onto your computer, you will only be able to play that casino game on that specific computer. It is possible to transfer games between computers via USB stick, but this is not always practical. Usually, the minimum system requirements for playing at a download casino exceed those of a flash casino so you need to make sure that your computer can handle the download version. Typically, download casinos require a minimum of 20 MB hard drive space and 16 MB RAM, while flash casinos require only 2 MB per game.

While flash casino games are newer than download games, the flash casino software is improving all the time so that they are now becoming at least as popular as their download counterparts. Casino bonuses may be offered at one casino and not the other so it is worth taking note of that the bonus offers too before you decide which version to play.