Since 2001, Inspired Gaming Group has been a small but important part of the UK’s digital gaming industry. They were one of the first companies to focus on the mobile gaming market, even before it was possible for most phones to handle the graphics and animations of modern online casino games. They also expanded into video lottery terminals and other products, and is now a medium-sized firm that employs over 800 people in offices based in London, Birmingham, and North Wales.

A major part of their operations involve licensing their products out to online casino operators, with their games being offered by some of the largest and most recognizable sites in the UK, not to mention in dozens of other nations worldwide. But while it would be easy to focus on their slots, there are also other games that are worthy of note. In particular, Inspired has become well-known for their virtual sports games, which have brought fixed odds “simulations” of sporting events to a whole new level for gamblers around the globe.

Inspired Gaming isn’t a household name in the online gambling industry, particularly when it comes to slot machines. However, you may have run into more of their games than you think. They license their titles to many major operators, where a handful of their games are likely to sit alongside much larger collections from the industry leaders.

That doesn’t necessarily mean you should overlook these selections, however. Thanks to their long-time commitment to the mobile market, games from this provider tend to work wonderfully on smartphones and tablets, and while they tend to be fairly standard in terms of gameplay, with few unusual or unique features, they feature bright, attractive interfaces that manage to be both visually entertaining and easy to navigate.

The result is a mix of games that are all based on fairly commonplace themes, but shine thanks to their sharp presentation. A few of the titles are particularly worthy of praise, such as:

White Knight: As the name would suggest, this is a very thematic medieval slot machine that sees the player put into the shoes of a heroic white knight. You’ll be matching precious gems, crowns, castles, dragons and more while attempting to collect jackpots that can be worth a million coins or more. A free spins bonus game includes additional “super wilds” that cover entire reels and make wins of epic proportions possible.

Treasure Island: Hit the high seas as an outlaw pirate in this adventurous title. This 20-line, five-reel slot machine features plenty of special bonuses hidden throughout, including a treasure pick’em round that could earn you 50x your initial bet. Another bonus round will have you firing cannonballs in order to earn as large a prize as possible, with rewards of up to 500 times your bet possible if you can make it all the way to the end of the track!

Centurion: Relive the glory of the Roman Empire in this popular machine. This is one game that certainly gives you a lot of replay value, as there are no fewer than nine bonus features to be found on the reels, ranging from massive wild symbols that cover large sections of the reels to wild reels and a “Road to Rome” feature that plays out like a fun board game. If you’re intimidated by complex games, you may not like this one, but it is certainly an entertaining ride if you like variety in your gameplay.

Spirit of the Samurai: Based on the Japanese warriors of a bygone era, Spirit of the Samurai sets 20-line of five-reel play against a backdrop of a serene temple. One of the most interesting features here is an experience bar at the top of the screen that tracks your level, beginning at “chugen” (a title given to those who served as attendants to samurai) and moving up from there. As your level of experience increases, you’ll find yourself earning more free spins in the game’s bonus rounds, making this a machine worth sticking with if you want to get the most out of it.

The above slots games are good, but alone wouldn’t make Inspired a particularly noteworthy developer. Where they have truly made their name is in their virtual sports products, a line of machines that blow everything else that competes in the “simulated” sports market out of the water.

At their heart, these products are essentially fixed odds games. Players can choose the competition of their choice – options include football, cricket, tennis horse racing, auto racing, and more – and then may make any number of bets on the contest to come. You can find games like these from many providers, of course: the idea of having a fake sporting event is a fun one, and it is especially popular in terms of horse racing, where you can simply pick a virtual horse at give odds and see if they win in a graphical on-screen race.

But Inspired takes this a step further with sports that look extraordinarily close to the real thing. The venues for these games are photorealistic, while the competitors – whether they be tennis players hitting the ball back and forth or greyhounds running around a track – look almost as convincing. In some cases, real players have been captured performing the sports, blending in almost seamlessly with the pitches, courts and tracks they are competing on. If you have any interest in these sorts of gambling games, you absolutely must give these offerings a look, at they are some of the most entertaining online gaming experiences we’ve ever seen.

When you take a look at the quality of their virtual sports projects, it is no surprise that many of the top betting brands in the UK have partnered with Inspired Gaming in order to gain access to these games. Earning access to their collection of very solid slot machines is just a small bonus.

We look at Inspired’s collection in much the same way. It certainly doesn’t hurt to have their slots in a site you want to play on, but the real treasure are the virtual sports games, which are some of the best fixed-odds simulations you’ll find anywhere. While some gamblers could care less about these games – and as such, won’t be impressed by what this developer has to offer — we highly recommend a site that includes them if the concept of simulated sports betting sounds at all interesting to you.