DGS Slot Machines
Operating out of San José, Costa Rica, Digital Gaming Solutions (DGS) is a privately-owned company that has been in business since 2003. While you’d expect the company to be a giant of the iGaming industry, considering how long they have been around for, they are much more like a dinosaur.
While most experienced players find it difficult to comprehend how DGS are still in business, the answer is quite simple. Their main forte is developing gaming solutions for sportsbooks that cater to Latin American markets – and there are plenty of them, with approximately fifty online gambling sites currently utilising software by DGS.
Markets aside, you’ll find yourself scratching your head in amazement whenever you take a glance at their online casino offering as it’s inscrutable how such extremely low-quality games are still available to play for real money in the modern era, further reinforcing the fact that it’s the sportsbook side of things DGS are fully-focused on and that casino games are simply an extra to provide some variety in-between bets.
While you won’t have to download any software as all games are Flash-based and DGS can rightfully boast that their slots are amongst the fastest-loading in the industry, they are visually prehistoric and accompanied by excruciating sound effects that will undoubtedly have you hitting the mute button, plus you’ll be starved of bonus features as Wild symbol substitutions and Scatter symbols are about as exciting as things get in most of their releases.
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Those are three qualities that the company boast about on their official website, although it doesn’t look like it’s been updated in many years, and they are all terms that would have you thinking you were in for a treat playing their online casino games, however, nothing could be further from the truth.
It’s tough to question the experience of the team behind DGS considering the company’s longevity. They must be doing something right as countless software providers have sprung up before quickly disappearing again since their inception, but they seem to be firmly set in their old-school ways, which brings us onto the other two qualities that they pride themselves on.
In terms of innovation, DGS were one of the first companies to provide a solution to players having to transfer funds between their sports betting, racing, casino and bingo wallets, enabling them to switch seamlessly between any of the offerings while having access to their full balance. They’ve also innovated over the years by ensuring that their software has been mobile-optimised, however, while these are online casino slots compatible with iPhones and other mobiles, I’ll hazard a guess that they’ve not made any updates in quite some time. When you look at how other software providers are pushing the boundaries these days, it’s safe to say that DGS are being left firmly in the distance.
The third quality the company raves about is intelligent design. They must mean their backend systems as their games, especially their range of slot machines, are amongst the worst that I’ve ever encountered in terms of visuals. A whole new team of creative geniuses is much-needed at these Costa Rican headquarters!
Browsing through the catalogue of slot machines that have been developed by DGS won’t take you very long and you’re sure to be left feeling astonished at the paltry selection on offer. It’s quite staggering that a company which has existed since the early noughties currently only has eighteen slots to its name – averaging out at just over one slot for every year that they have been in business!
Despite the small selection of games available, the horrible graphics, hideous sound effects and lack of bonus features, there are still several reasons to give DGS casino slot machines a spin. These include the fact you can play them instantly without having to download any software, there are big payouts on offer for lining up the highest-paying symbols, large bets can be made on every spin for those with deep pockets, plus there are various themes to ensure that at least one of their games lure you in to having a few spins.
As a sporting aficionado with a thirst for speed, the Fast Way video slot is one of my favourite DGS releases. Hit the turbo button and the symbols will align across the five reels faster than the blink of an eye as you steer your aerodynamic racing car across the finish line in the hopes of getting your hands on the golden trophy – and the 2,000x your line bet prize that comes with it!
If it’s some swashbuckling action you’re craving, DGS boast two pirate-themed slots that see you sail the seven seas in search for riches. The most basic of the two is a single-line, 3-reeled slot titled Pirate’s Treasure which boasts a bonus round that sees you pick a location to dig for gold and a progressive jackpot, while Pirate’s Revenge is a 5-reeled slot with nine paylines that boasts superior graphics, another straightforward bonus game and a top prize of 5,000x your line bet.
Plenty of fruity fun is on the menu too as Fruit Punch and Fruity Fortune are both 5-reeled slots, offering a maximum of five and nine paylines respectively, that see clipart-styled symbols roll onto the reels as you seek your five-a-day to cash-out with the biggest prizes on the pay table.
To further emphasise the great variety of themes on offer in the DGS range of slots, a few other examples include Alpha Centauri which sees you blast off into outer space on board a rocket ship, you can roll your way to a fortune playing Crazy Dice, 8 Ball sees you shoot some pool, while The Circus sees you take a front-row seat to watch seals clapping and clowns juggling.
It’s perfectly clear that DGS are resting on their laurels, basking in the success that they enjoyed during the early noughties, with zero intentions to innovate and take their business to new heights.
Their focus is firmly on the sportsbook software that they provide to clients, rather than the casino side of the business, and there are no signs of this changing anytime soon. Heck, there isn’t even any sign of a new slot machine being released and it’s clear that their most recent online slots release was several years ago.
Even if they were to surprise us by announcing a new slot out of the blue, it’s not something that would excite anybody – unless they assemble a whole new team of mathematicians, digital artists and programmers! We would recommended those from other developers, such as eGaming slots, or RTG slots over this range.
