The Biggest Corporations in the Online Slots Industry

There are dozens of companies in the gambling industry, but the number of those with high market shares is not that many. In other words, there are only a few companies that get the lion’s share in online gambling, as in all other industries. So, what are these gambling companies? Why do they dominate the online casino industry, and what have they done to grow this much? Below, we answer these questions for you. 

Entain

You probably have not heard this name before, but if we told you that its former name was GVC Holdings, you probably would. Entain is a company listed on the London Stock Exchange and considered the world’s largest online casino & online sports betting operator. This is because of the incredibly famous brands it owns. Entain controls the following brands: Ladbrokes Coral, Sportingbet, Betboo, Bwin, PartyPoker, BetMGM, and Foxy Games Network. In fact, it owns more than a dozen brands; we have only listed the most famous ones.

Even Ladbrokes Coral alone has a revenue of more than £1.5 billion. The total value of Entain is more than 3.5 billion EUR, and its operating income in 2020 is about 530 million EUR. Even if you have not heard of the name Entain before, we are sure you have played online casinos or placed a sports bet on at least one of its brands. 

International Game Technology (IGT)

Unlike Entain, we are sure you have heard the name IGT before, especially if you like playing free online slots for fun. IGT is a company that produces games and equipment for both land-based casinos and online casinos. The casino games it has developed are known for their superior graphic quality and creative features. Although IGT is a brand known mostly for its online slots, it also develops other games, such as online poker. In other words, it is possible to define it as a developer of slots and casinos.

IGT was founded in 1975 in Las Vegas, Nevada, and started to be traded on the New York Stock Exchange in 1991. The secret of its rapid growth is that it was one of the first companies to offer products and services to land-based casinos. Acquired by Gtech in 2006, IGT is now managed by De Agostini, an Italy-based holding. The company’s annual revenue was $4.69 billion in 2015, and it had an operating income of $539 million.

Bet365

We have talked about companies traded on the stock exchange so far, but there are also companies that are private, that is, not public. Bet365, founded by British billionaire businesswoman Denise Coates, is one such company and is considered the world’s largest private online betting operator. Bet365 offers not only sports betting, but also free slot machine games online. In other words, it also operates as an online casino and is known for its fast & smooth deposits and withdrawals processes.

Bet365 is the second most tax-paying company in the UK and has a revenue approaching £3 billion. Its operating income is around £800 million. The company employs a little more than 4,500 people and is headquartered in a small town called Stoke-on-Trent. Bet365 also has offices in Manchester, Gibraltar, Malta, Bulgaria, and Australia.

Scientific Games

Americans are actually remarkably familiar with Scientific Games (SG), but they are probably not aware of it. SG has been manufacturing terminal systems that print Mega Millions and Powerball lottery tickets since 1974. So, for example, when you buy a Mega Millions ticket, the technology that allows it to be printed instantly is developed and managed by SG. Scientific Games also develops software on a global scale for parimutuel betting systems too.

SG also entered the land-based and online gambling industry in the early 2000s. However, it did this by purchasing the most famous and oldest companies in this industry. Currently, it owns and operates almost all of the legendary brands, such as Bally Technologies, Williams Interactive (WMS Gaming), Open Bet, and NYX Gaming. The company actually owns dozens of brands, but these are the best-known ones. Almost all of the brands considered to be the oldest manufacturers of casino games and equipment in the US are currently controlled by SG. The company has almost 10,000 employees, and the total value of its assets is estimated to be close to $8 billion.

Flutter Entertainment

Flutter is again a company that you probably have not heard of before but owns brands you use regularly. 

• By 2021, it is the owner and operator of the following brands: Paddy Power, Betfair, and The Stars Group. 
• It also owns many other companies such as PokerStars, Sky Bet, FanDuel, Sportsbet.com.au, and TVG Network. 
• Flutter is a holding founded by Betfair and Paddy Power, and Paddy Power controls 52% of the shares. 
• The company also has many operations in Australia and the United States.

The value of a company that owns such big brands is also huge. Flutter is listed on the London Stock Exchange and achieved a revenue of nearly £4.4 billion in 2020. Its operating income is around £680 million. The company also owns more than 600 physical betting shops in the UK and Ireland and is a partner of the US-based Fox Corporation.

William Hill

We are sure that English gamblers are familiar with this name. William Hill was founded in 1934 and is one of the oldest licensed bookmakers in England. In other words, if you live in England, your grandfather was probably betting on William Hill as well. The company has changed hands many times, but its current owner is US-based Caesars Entertainment. In September 2020, Caesars Entertainment purchased William Hill for $3.7 billion, thus making a rapid entry into the European sports betting industry.

William Hill has approximately 12,000 employees and a revenue of close to £1.4 billion. Its operating income is around £57 million, but its net income is more than most of its competitors: 51 million pounds by 2020. William Hill also owns several online casinos and some of the sports betting chains in the USA.