Gaming software suppliers - the meek shall inherit the earth.

[Ian_go]

Two years ago, many industry insiders would not have given a start-up online gaming software company a snowball's chance in hell of making it past the first years trading. The incredibly competitive software supply market was dominated by a few heavy weights. And those companies, that included Playtech, MicroGaming & Cryptologic, were steeling the lion's share of new business. For gaming operations to be competitive in the online casino market place, they not only had to have 100 plus games, a flash product and a sophisticated bonus engine, but they required complex CRM and risk management tools. Only a handful of software providers could bring this suite to the table, and that after some years of experience supporting a network of licensees.

Things have changed greatly for the industry since the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was signed into law late in 2006 by US president George W. Bush. The Act effectively banished the PLCs from the marketplace, and many of the big and mid-size software providers left the business. In fact, the list of software houses and networks that now more