EGR Power 50 2019: 41-50
41. Gaming Innovation Group (28)
What a difference a year makes. With perhaps the exception of Global Gaming (which has dropped out of the Power 50), few operators have had as torrid a year as Gaming Innovation Group (GiG). The Malta-based operator is one of the biggest fallers this year after what was a stellar rise in the 2018 rankings, with GiG reporting successive poor financial results in recent quarters, including a 46% drop in EBITDA in Q3. GiG recently promoted former COO Richard Brown as its new chief exec and will be hoping his recently announced “total business review” will pinpoint how the firm can turn its fortunes around.
42. PlayOJO (50)
After just sneaking into the EGR Power 50 last year, online casino operator PlayOJO has gone from strength-to-strength this year and thus climbs eight places in the 2019 rankings. The SkillOnNet-powered operator launched in 2017 pledging to offer a fairer proposition to customers via instant withdrawals and no wagering requirements, and it looked to make good on its social responsibility promise this year after ceasing pre-watershed TV advertising in Sweden to reduce exposure to minors. Sweden, the UK and Denmark are believed to be PlayOJO’s core markets.
43. Marathonbet (42)
Marathonbet slips one spot this year, with the firm declining to provide its numbers. A spokesperson did, however, provide this statement: “We’ve not completed our financial year so we can’t provide any detail, but we are confident that (based on year-to-date) we will outperform last year.” During the judging period, Marathon unveiled a new brand identity to promote its low-margin business model that saw it best-priced on Premier League football last season for 34 out of 38 weeks on Oddschecker. It’s tough to make money on that model in the UK these days, but the firm does have its own tech and a healthy base of non-UK revenues.
44. Intouch Games (43)
It may have lost out to industry heavyweight Kindred Group, but the fact Intouch Games was highly commended in the Mobile Casino Product category at this year’s EGR Operator Awards pretty much sums up its raison d’être. The operator made its move into online gaming back in 2006 and has long put mobile at the heart of everything it does, driven predominantly by its flagship mFortune brand. InTouch Games now has five brands within its portfolio.
45. Superbet (49)
It’s been a busy 12 months for Superbet. In May, the operator received a £150m investment from Blackstone, with the cash to be used to aid its expansion into additional markets and further improve its proprietary technology. Superbet also hired a new CEO in former Paddy Power Betfair executive Johnny Hartnett, who believes there is still room for further digital penetration in the CEE region despite 78.8% online revenue growth in the Power 50 reporting period.
46. Matchbook (48)
Late in 2018, Matchbook CEO Mark Brosnan pledged to deliver “sportsbook-exchange hybrid” concepts in 2019 as part of an ongoing effort to bring more recreational customers to the platform. A key part of that was unveiled this October with the launch of Matchbook Accas – the number one product mentioned by customers in consumer testing. The move to a sportsbook style-product will also be a key part of the operator’s eventual expansion to the US – a model currently being pioneered by rival exchange firm Smarkets.
47. Golden Nugget ***NEW***
Golden Nugget is the second US operator to make the list after placing third in the US rankings last year. The firm’s online gaming product in New Jersey is considered to be best-in-class, its licence making up 37% of New Jersey’s egaming market in October. During the month, year-to-date gaming revenues increased 65% YoY. Golden Nugget was quick to innovate in the early days of
New Jersey egaming and was first to market with live casino.
48. Corredor Empresarial ***NEW***
While all eyes are rightly on the fledgling US market, Latam offers some attractive growth prospects too and Corredor Empresarial is one of the biggest operators around. The company made EGR’s ‘Ones to watch’ list in last year’s Power 50 and has made the official rankings for the first time this time around thanks to the growth of its Kambi-powered BetPlay brand. No official statistics have been released but EGR believes it currently has a 60% market share in Colombia.
49. Hero Gaming ***NEW***
Founded in 2013, Hero Gaming sneaks into the EGR Power 50 having become one of the biggest operators in the newly regulated Swedish market. According to the latest tax filings, Hero Gaming accrued SEK259m in revenue in the Swedish market alone between Q1 and Q3 2019 via its Casino Heroes and Speedy Casino/Bet brands. Boasting a proprietary technology platform and attractive company culture, Hero Gaming has also invested in territories further afield in Asia.
50. Rush Street Interactive ***NEW***
There are many moving parts to the RSI machine. It narrowly slips into the rankings this year on its New Jersey egaming performance and regulated sportsbook in Colombia. Its technical abilities have given it headway in the US, particularly as the first Pennsylvania operator to enable betting via iOS devices. RSI sits on Golden Nugget‘s New Jersey egaming licence which maintains a solid market lead each month.