Pragmatic Play launched in 2015 as a mobile slots specialist. Eleven years on, it is running its biggest year yet: an Egyptian-themed mega release in June, a World Cup-timed Big Bass title already out, a first-of-its-kind Korean-inspired live baccarat game just live, and a live casino operation that has tripled since 2019 and is on track to triple again before 2028. The breadth says a lot about where the business is going.

Who owns Pragmatic Play, and who runs it?

Headquartered in Gibraltar and privately owned by investors led by Veridian (Gibraltar) Limited, the company has had co-founder Julian Jarvis as CEO from the start. Jarvis worked at AOL Europe through the AOL Time Warner merger and was recruited in 2004 by the founders of what became PartyGaming. He brought a regulated-markets mindset in from day one.

That shaped the strategy. The original focus was high-quality slots built for mobile and distributed through regulated markets, a bigger bet than it sounds given how many 2015-era rivals were chasing quicker revenue through lighter-touch territories. Pragmatic went the other way, pushing for licensing in the UK first, then Malta, Italy, Sweden, Romania, and later Ontario and Brazil.

How did Pragmatic Play build its catalogue of games?

The early years were about foundations: mobile-first design, a reliable release cadence, and spotting the franchises that would scale. By 2017 and 2018 the catalogue had genuine hits, with Big Bass emerging as a phenomenon and Sweet Bonanza and Gates of Olympus arriving soon after to become some of the most-played slots on the market.

When did Pragmatic Play move into live casino?

In 2019, the company made its defining move, launching a live casino with around 50 tables and building a parallel business alongside slots. Today it runs more than 500 tables, with plans for over 1,000 more in the next two years and studio locations growing from five to nine. It now distributes thousands of games through a single API to operators across more than 30 regulated markets, in over 30 languages and more than 170 currencies, reaching partners from Flutter Entertainment and Entain to regional brands and aggregators.

What is Pragmatic Play’s big release in 2026?

Pragmatic Play typically releases a top-tier or mega release game each quarter. 

In January, Jelly Express (with a max win of up to 5,000x) was released, followed by Gates of Olympus Roulette in April, and June’s big-hitter is Fury of Anubis, set in the realm of the ancient Egyptian god of the afterlife.

This high-volatility slot offers a feature-rich experience and a slow buildup to a large bonus, launching on June 25 across major regulated markets via a single-API system. It is part of a busy release schedule. Big Bass Football Bonanza launched on May 25, themed around the World Cup. Seotda Baccarat, which debuted on May 18, blends traditional baccarat with a Korean-inspired Seotda mechanic. 

Other recent slots include Mr Null’s Wicked Wares (May 5), Sweet Bonanza 2500 (April 30), and Big Bass Trophy Catch (April 16), each either a brand-new original game or a new version of a flagship franchise released at a rate of around eight or nine per month.

What is the slot-to-live crossover advantage?

The strategy worth watching is what Pragmatic Play does with its biggest slot IPs in live casino. Sweet Bonanza CandyLand led the way, and Gates of Olympus Roulette pushed it even further. It will be interesting to see just how far Pragmatic Play can take their biggest hits. Premium, high-production game shows are common across the industry now, but few suppliers have the slot IP heritage to make them work. Pragmatic Play does, and that is becoming a clear competitive edge. Expect more crossovers.

Which Pragmatic Play slots perform best?

Behind the headline releases sits a catalogue in the thousands, though engagement concentrates on a familiar trio: Big Bass, Sweet Bonanza and Gates of Olympus. Gates of Olympus Super Scatter topped the global performance charts at the close of 2025, and Fortune of Olympus, out that December, has stayed near the top through 2026. A monthly cadence of eight or nine releases, with a quarterly top-tier or mega title, keeps that library feeling bottomless to operators.

Where does Pragmatic Play go from here?

The upcoming major release is planned for autumn, probably a franchise extension or an original idea. The key question remains about the live casino crossover. With two major IPs already in live formats, adding a third could solidify it as a hallmark approach. In its eleventh year, Pragmatic Play seems less like a maturing provider and more like a company still exploring its growth potential.