Though Android has a way bigger market share than iOS, when it comes to tablets Apple are still holding their own. Initially we were surprised to find out that around 10% of all our visitors are using an iPad but then it all made sense. Almost all UK-licensed online casinos offer both download and web application for iOS devices as opposed to only web-based ones for Android. Plus, in some cases the casinos offer way more games compatible with iOS than with Android. A logical explanation for that would be that they’ve done their research and have seen that iPads are pretty popular among online gamblers. This is how we decided to do our own little research and find out which are the top iPad casinos in the UK. Here are the results:
In order to determine the top 10 iPad Casinos for UK players we tested all the available casino apps on 2 devices: iPad 3 and iPad Mini. On top of that we checked for which iOS versions the apps were optimised, taking into account that most Apple users have at least iOS 5. Below you can see the specs of the iPads we used and a statistic for the distribution of the different iOS versions on iPad in the UK.
The Top-Rated iPad Casinos and Their Apps in Detail
When testing the casino apps of the top-rated legal casino operators in the UK, we tried to ignore our personal preferences and create a truly impartial ranking. We determined 6 criteria according to which we rated the apps: availability of a download and web app, number of games, bonuses, uniqueness of the game selection, live casino and performance. This is how Leo Vegas ended up on the top of the ranking while my personal favourite, 888, placed third. Check out below more details about our winner and the rest of the top 10 iPad casinos.
Playing Casino Games on iPad – Problems and Solutions
As iOS is such a sophisticated operating system, there are very few problems that you might encounter if you decide to play real-money casino games on your iPad. All of the apps that we tested load instantly and run smoothly in the browser, while all the download apps are available on the App Store. The only minor particularity I’ve encounter with the download apps is that certain casinos required the location services of the device to be turned on. If you decide to try the download app of a such casino you can turn on the location services at Settings > Privacy > Location Services as demonstrated below.
To understand better this option, you can read this exhaustive article on Apple’s official website. If you, on the other hand, don’t want to go through the trouble of downloading and installing an app and then changing the settings of your device, just play directly in your browser. Either way it’s a smart decision to test the web app first as it is easier and faster.
The Most Renowned Developers of iPad Casino Apps
If you’ve been playing online casino games for a long time then the following list of the most popular software providers of iPad-friendly casino apps won’t surprise you at all. The below-mentioned developers happen to be the best not only when it comes to iPad casino apps, but to mobile gambling in general. Here’s why:
NetEnt Touch Games – Optimised for iPadNetEnt might not offer as many games as Playtech and Microgaming, but what they offer in abundance is excellent quality and impeccable graphics. The same can be said about their mobile platform and especially about their iPad-friendly apps. But don’t take my word for it! Open a NetEnt Touch game in play mode on your iPad, test it for a little while and then do the same with one random Playtech and one Microgaming mobile game. You’ll see that the difference is more than evident.
Playtech’s iPad Casino SoftwareBeing one of the most popular casino software providers worldwide, Playtech have to satisfy the needs of literally millions of daily users. For a software house that operates on that scale is more than unthinkable not to offer great mobile apps, including ones that are compatible with iPads. And sure enough you can play all their most popular games on any type of device, iPad included. In addition, they are one of the few providers that offer live dealer games that are accessible on mobile phones and tablets.
Evolution Gaming’s Live-Dealer Casino App on iPadEven though they offer exclusively live-dealer games, Evolution Gaming have their rightful place among the most renowned casino software developers on the market. Their live-casino platform is optimised for all types of devices, including iPad and iPad Mini. The quality of their video stream is unmatched by any other provider and is just as good on mobile devices as it is on desktop. I’ve said it many times before but it’s more than obvious that focusing on a very narrow niche paid of big time for them.
iPad Friendly Microgaming Casino GamesOnce on top of the casino software market, the last decade saw Microgaming failing miserably to keep up with the quality and engagement of the games that other providers offered. Thankfully, they didn’t completely give up and came back with a set of new high-quality slots themed around famous TV shows and movies like Game of Thrones and The Dark Knight Rises and focused on providing great compatibility with all sorts of devices, including iPad. A smart strategy to get back into the game!
The Most Entertaining iPad Casino Games
As far as quality and performance go, the Android and iPad versions of the most entertaining casino games are not that different. That said, you might notice that our ranking of the best Android-friendly casino games is slightly different than the one for iPad casinos that you can see below. This is due to the fact that compared to Android Phones, iPads have much better displays. The difference was especially evident when we tried the games on iPad 3 which has a retina display. This is why the games with better quality of the graphics ranked even higher. But enough chit-chat, let’s check out which are the best casino games to play on iPad starting with the most exciting iPad slots.
The Best iPad-Compatible Slot Games
Even though there are far less iPad-compatible slots in comparison with the number of slots for desktop, you still have quite a lot of game versions to choose from. In the slider below you can check out which are the best slots machines on iPad, selected by us, the editorial team behind bestonlinecasino.co.uk.
Roulette, Blackjack and Video Poker Games for iPad
There might not be as many table and video poker games compatible with different mobile devices as there are slots. Still, you have quite a bit of choice as the different software providers offer different versions of these classic casino games. Check out in the box below which are the best casinos where you can play roulette, blackjack and video poker from your iPad.
ROULETTE – Everyone knows that roulette is among the most popular casino games so it would be sheer madness for a casino not to offer at least a dozen variations of this casino classic. As for iPad-compatible roulette games, online casinos rarely offer more than 2-3 variations, but there are some great online casinos, like Leo Vegas for example, which have whole sections dedicated to this game even on their iPad platforms.
BLACKJACK – There are quite a few interesting and innovative variations of blackjack on the Internet, but to be honest I was kind of disappointed to find out how few of them are available on the iPad versions of the casinos. I know for example that all Playtech casinos offer more than 13-14 different and exciting variants of the game on their desktop platform and then I saw that on iPad there’s only the classic version of the game. This is why when I want to play blackjack on my iPad I just go to 888 Casino. They might not have that many iPad-compatible blackjack games as well, but at least they have an amazing live-casino platform where I can play in the company of real professional dealers. Plus, they have great bonus offers dedicated especially to their blackjack players. You can find out more about them here.
VIDEO POKER – Of all the most popular casino games that you can play online, video poker is the least featured at the different iPad-friendly casinos in the UK. One operator that didn’t ignore this player favourite is 32red who offer 6 different video poker variations at their iPad-compatible platform alone. On the background of iPad casinos that offer no video poker games at all, this is actually quite impressive. If you want to learn more about this great online casino, don’t forget to read our honest and extremely detailed review of the operator where you can find out all you need to know about their lucrative bonus offers and interesting game selection.
Live-Dealer Games Compatible with iPad
Live-dealer games have always been very popular among online players so it’s not a big surprise that Evolution Gaming and Playtech have gone as far as to offer live-casino games for mobile users. Both these great software providers offer live roulette, blackjack and baccarat compatible with iPad, but on top of that Evolution Gaming offers also live Casino Hold’em. Check out the screenshots in the slider below to get a feel of their live-dealer rooms.
Readers’ Questions
Do all online casinos offer downloadable app for iPad?
No. Even though almost all reputable online casinos offer native apps for their casino platforms there are certain casinos, like Titanbet for example, that offer their iPad users only web apps.
Can I claim 888’s free £88 bonus from my iPad?
Unfortunately, 888 don’t offer their huge free bonus to players that register directly from their mobile device but there’s a really simple solution to this problem. Just register at the casino on your PC or Mac, claim the bonus and then continue playing on your iPad. This way you won’t miss on the many free spins you can enjoy with this bonus and you will be able to play from your favourite device. Before you register you can also read our comprehensive review of the operator where you can learn everything you need to know about all their bonus offers and games.