Pragmatic Play Pragmatic Play
A global game supplier that launched in 2015. It makes slots and live casino games, and holds certifications and licenses in more than 30 jurisdictions, including Malta MGA and UK UKGC.
| English | Pragmatic Play |
|---|---|
| Classification | Providers |
| Founded | 2015 |
| Headquarters | Gibraltar / Sliema, Malta |
| CEO | Julian Jarvis |
| Ownership | Private investor group led by Veridian (Gibraltar) Ltd |
| Main licenses | Malta MGA, UK UKGC, Gibraltar, Romania ONJN, Ontario (Canada) |
| MGA license number | MGA/B2B/317/2016 |
| Main products | Slots, live casino, crash games |
| Supported languages | 33 |
| Signature features | Tumbling, multipliers, Ante Bet, bonus buy |
| Official site | pragmaticplay.com |
| AI Slot game count | 808 |
Overview
Pragmatic Play is a B2B game developer that supplies slots and live casino games to online casino operators. It launched in 2015, and according to the company’s official introduction, it is owned by a private investor group led by Veridian (Gibraltar) Limited. It is not a listed company, so it does not disclose financial information such as revenue.
It is now known as a provider with a fast release pace, putting out a new slot every week. It supports 33 languages and most currencies, and says it holds certifications and licenses in more than 30 jurisdictions. It is also the provider with the most free slots on AI Slot.
History
Launch and Growth (2015-2017)
According to industry sources, Pragmatic Play launched in 2015 by acquiring Topgame Technology, a developer active since 2007. It entered regulated European markets in earnest after receiving a Class 4 license from the Malta MGA in July 2016 and a remote gambling software license from the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) in April 2017. Around this time it had more than 80 games and supported 20 languages.
Expansion into a multi-product supplier (2018-2022)
It launched bingo in February 2018, and in June of that year it acquired live casino company Extreme Live Gaming from Novomatic, entering live casino. In November 2018 it also received a Gibraltar B2B license. It grew into a full-range supplier, launching virtual sports in 2020 and a sportsbook in April 2022. In October 2022 it opened a new 950 sq m headquarters in Sliema, Malta.
Focus on slots and live (2026 onward)
In June 2026 it wound down its sportsbook, virtual sports, and bingo businesses and restructured to focus on slots, live casino, and crash games. In October of that year it teased a large-scale promotion with comedian Kevin Hart and a live casino product.
| Period | Key Events |
|---|---|
| 2015 | Launched through the acquisition of Topgame Technology |
| 2016.07 | Obtained a Malta MGA Class 4 license |
| 2017.04 | Obtained a UK UKGC license |
| 2018.02 | Bingo launched |
| 2018.06 | Acquired Extreme Live Gaming, entered live casino |
| 2018.11 | Obtained Gibraltar license |
| 2020.01 | Launched the Drops & Wins network promotion |
| 2020.04 | Signed a Megaways license agreement, released its first Megaways game |
| 2022.04 | Sportsbook launched |
| 2022.10 | Opened new headquarters in Sliema, Malta |
| 2025 | Won at the EGR B2B Awards in the slot supplier category, main sponsor of Aprilia Racing in MotoGP |
| 2026.06 | Sportsbook, virtual sports, and bingo closed, focus on slots and live |
Headquarters and offices
The official site lists Gibraltar as the company’s location, while industry media describe the Sliema, Malta office, which opened in 2022, as its headquarters. Other known sites include an Isle of Man office, live casino studios in Bucharest, Romania and Sofia, Bulgaria, and a development hub in Hyderabad, India. The reason for its base in Malta is covered in more detail in the Malta MGA section.
License
The official Malta MGA lookup shows a B2B Critical Gaming Supply license, MGA/B2B/317/2016, under the name Arrise Solutions (Malta) Ltd. Its other main public licenses are listed below.
| Regulators | Country | Obtained |
|---|---|---|
| Malta MGA | Malta | July 2016 |
| UKGC | UK | April 2017 |
| Government of Gibraltar | Gibraltar | November 2018 |
| ONJN | Romania | As listed on the official site |
| AGCO / iGaming Ontario | Ontario, Canada | Valid until November 2027 |
The company has been active in the Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish markets since before 2018.
Key slot timeline
Most of Pragmatic Play’s hits follow a series strategy: “if the original succeeds, expand it into a 1000 version, a Megaways version, and a Super Scatter version.”
| Release | Games | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| 2017.04 | Wolf Gold | Money Respin and a three-tier jackpot, an early flagship game |
| 2019.05 | The Dog House | Sticky wild multipliers, the start of The Dog House series |
| 2019.06 | Sweet Bonanza | 6×5 tumbling, max 21,175x |
| 2020.04 | Great Rhino Megaways | Pragmatic Play’s first Megaways |
| 2020.08 | The Dog House Megaways | Megaways version of a popular title |
| 2020.12 | Big Bass Bonanza | Co-produced with Reel Kingdom, the start of the Big Bass series |
| 2021.02 | Gates of Olympus | Zeus multiplier symbols, max 5,000x |
| 2021.09 | Starlight Princess | Pragmatic Play’s first animated theme |
| 2022.06 | Sugar Rush | Cluster pays and position multipliers |
| 2023.12 | Gates of Olympus 1000 | Multipliers up to 1,000x, max 15,000x |
| 2024.06 | Sweet Bonanza 1000 | Up to 25,000x |
| 2026 | Gates of Olympus 2500 | Up to 25,000x |
Game features
Tumbling and multipliers
The most iconic formula in Pragmatic slots is the combination that started with Sweet Bonanza: tumbling (winning symbols disappear and new symbols drop in) plus multiplier symbols that fall on screen and are added up and applied.
Ante Bet and Bonus Buy
Ante Bet is an option where you pay about 25% more per bet to raise your chance of triggering free spins. For example, in Starlight Princess, turning on Ante Bet doubles the chance of triggering free spins. Bonus Buy is a feature where you pay a set multiple of your bet to go straight into free spins. However, this feature is removed in jurisdictions that ban bonus buys, such as the UK.
Multiple RTP versions
Pragmatic Play supplies one game in several RTP versions. For example, Gates of Olympus has 96.50%, 95.51%, and 94.50% versions, so the same game can have a different RTP depending on where you play it. You can check the exact figure on the in-game info screen.
Drops & Wins
A network promotion that started in January 2020. It shares the same prize pool across multiple operators; in Season 7 the prize pool was 25 million euros, and cumulative prizes have passed 100 million euros.
Partner studios
The Big Bass series is made by partner studio Reel Kingdom and distributed by Pragmatic Play. Big Bass Bonanza was the second game released with Reel Kingdom. The Megaways version is made under a Megaways license from Big Time Gaming.
Awards and sponsorships
At the 2025 EGR B2B Awards it won in the “Slot Supplier of the Year (5+ years)” and “Casino Software Supplier (5+ years)” categories. That same year it became the main sponsor of the Aprilia Racing team in MotoGP.
Latest news
In September 2025 it withdrew from the US sweepstakes (social casino) market, and in May 2026 the Ontario regulator AGCO in Canada fined it 40,000 Canadian dollars over Pragmatic games being exposed on unregulated sites. In June 2026 it announced the business restructuring mentioned above.
Headquarters
Pragmatic Play is headquartered in Gibraltar and runs offices in places like Sliema, Malta.
