The provider closed 2025 with major global expansion, award‑winning products, and strong momentum across its slots, live casino, and sportsbook offers, setting the stage for an even more ambitious 2026.
2025 was a record year for Pragmatic Play, marked by global expansion, major product launches, and strong industry recognition. In an interview, Chief Revenue Officer Mark Maislish spoke to iGaming Express to reflect on the company’s key achievements, strategic decisions, and lessons learned, while outlining priorities for 2026 across live casino, slots, and sportsbook development.
Tomasz Jagodziński: The beginning of the year is always a time for summaries. So, I’ll start by asking: what are you most proud of after 2025?
Mark Maislish: We are proud of so many things we achieved last year and 2025 was a record year for Pragmatic Play. We saw significant growth and global expansion, alongside strong industry recognition, winning 39 awards, including both Casino Content Supplier and Slot Supplier at the EGR B2B Awards.
We released over 100 network games across the year, with slots such as Gates of Olympus Super Scatter, Sweet Rush Bonanza and Fortune of Olympus performing exceptionally well in multiple markets. Live casino was a particular highlight, with the launch of new studios in Serbia and Colombia, the rollout of more than 55 localised tables, and the introduction of standout game shows like Fortune Roulette, Money Time, and Mega Roulette 3000.
We also deepened our focus on customisation through our Smart Studio offering and key partnerships, while expanding our multi-product approach with new live poker titles and the launch of arcade games.
And what are you not entirely satisfied with? Are there any elements that, in hindsight, you would have done differently?
We’re proud of what we achieved, but we never see any year as “complete.” At Pragmatic Play, we hold ourselves to high standards, so we’re constantly challenging ourselves on how we can do things better, move faster, go further, for example with localisation, or innovation across all our product verticals. That mindset is what drives our growth, and it’s something we carry into every new year.
You received so many industry awards this year. Does any one of them have special significance for you?
It’s hard to choose a favourite! But in all honesty, we never take industry accolades for granted – each one recognises the hard work and dedication of all our teams in creating and delivering high-quality products and service in an extremely competitive market.
One area of focus is live casino, for which we have won several awards in recent years. With the momentum we’re building, we are confident that the strength of the product, studios, and roadmap puts us in an excellent position to achieve even more recognition as we head into the awards season.
It’s also impossible not to touch on one of your key products – casino slots. You produce as many as eight per month. How do you maintain quality and keep ideas fresh at such a scale?
Slots remain the foundation of our business and continue to form the bedrock of the group. While 2025 was an excellent year, we’re not resting on our laurels. We stay focused across all verticals, continually refreshing our franchises, launching new games, and adding innovative features. This commitment is evident in new titles like Gates of Olympus Super Scatter, which was our top-performing slot game globally by the end of last year, and also Fortune of Olympus, which hit the ground running when it came out in December.
Keeping quality high while producing a lot of games comes down to having the right teams, processes, and focus. Our creative and technical teams work closely on new ideas, and every game goes through careful testing and review. We also pay close attention to feedback from operators and players, and we have made improvements to games based on this.
From an outside perspective, it seems that this was a good year for your sportsbook. Not only in terms of product development, but also, for example, obtaining a licence in Brazil. Is this a product you plan to focus on even more in the coming years? Especially since competition in this area is intense.
2025 was a strong year for our sportsbook, both in terms of product development and market progress. While it remains a smaller part of the wider group, we’ve secured some excellent partnerships and have clear plans to onboard a number of important clients this year.
Last year we received full certification to provide our sportsbook product to operators in Brazil. Regulatory developments across LatAm as a whole, are opening new doors, and with Brazil’s deep-rooted passion for football, combined with a World Cup year, it’s a market we are actively prioritising. Our sports team, led by Gareth Crook, is looking ahead to another busy and exciting year.
What differentiates Pragmatic Play Sports is the depth and quality of its data offering. The platform integrates official data from rights holders across multiple sports, supported by strong analytical capabilities and a high level of service for our partners.
A few months ago, there was also news that you were withdrawing from the sweepstakes market in the US. Given the regulatory “wild west” in that country, this is understandable. But how difficult was this decision from a business perspective? After all, this type of platform is very popular there.
This was a considered and strategic decision. While we recognise the popularity of the platform, the regulatory landscape in the US is complex and constantly evolving, which makes it challenging to operate with full confidence. From a business perspective, it was important to focus our resources on markets where we can scale sustainably and innovate with clarity. That said, we view the US as an opportunity for the future.
The beginning of the year is a time for summaries, but also for building strategy and new ideas. So, a very simple question: what can we expect from Pragmatic Play in 2026?
There’s so much to look forward to in 2026! We’re entering the year with a laser focus on delivering exceptional products and industry-leading service. Our mission remains clear: to provide our clients, and their players, with the best possible experience, continually raising our standards so Pragmatic Play stays the go-to and trusted choice.
On the product side, we’re excited to continue releasing premium titles, including Jelly Express in March. One standout for me is Gates of Olympus Roulette, bringing one of the world’s most iconic slot franchises into live casino for the first time. We’re also launching new studio environments, starting with Flow, which will bring a completely fresh look to Blackjack.
Live casino is set for major growth in 2026, with plans to open two new studios and expand our presence across key regulated markets. All in all, it’s shaping up to be an exciting and ambitious year for Pragmatic Play.
And finally, if someone new were to join the team today and asked, “what did 2025 teach you?”, what would you tell them in one honest sentence?
2025, like every other year, reinforced that while the industry will always bring twists and turns, staying focused on what we can control and influence – innovation, quality, and hard work – is what ultimately drives success.
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