RubyPlay bets on bespoke brand games to supercharge regulated growth

The personal touch has been key to driving RubyPlay’s global growth.

With a ‘Game Craft Unleashed’ philosophy, the Malta-headquartered enterprise’s bespoke approach to video slots development is helping to secure a prominent presence across regulated markets worldwide. This year alone, fresh partnerships have been sealed with the likes of Rush Street Interactive in the US, Starcasino in the Netherlands and Lottomatica in Italy. 

Indeed, whilst ‘personalisation’ has become a cornerstone of igaming, few companies adhere to this principle as fervently as RubyPlay.

Focusing on increasing velocity, RubyPlay can respond at record speeds to capture branding and IP opportunities encountered by partners. Successful titles can be repainted at record speeds, staying true to partner’s branding, and can include changes such as incorporating partner’s brand IP into an existing established title, or changing the whole look and feel of the game to create a unique bespoke experience.

It is a strategy that has served RubyPlay well as it has branched out to multiple regulated jurisdictions, delivering market-by-market and partner-by-partner results.

Foundations for stability

Furthermore, this tailored approach has become essential in navigating regulatory complexities.

Although the essence of regulation is to offer providers and operators alike a pathway to legitimacy by strengthening consumer protections and building the foundations for long-term stability, the reality is often starkly different.

In many cases, tightening laws, tax increases and strict player stake limits are squeezing businesses in the sector and (as is sometimes highlighted by politicians and businesses) encouraging players to engage with unregulated operators that do not comply with such rules.

Another issue in the igaming sector is the divide between gambling industry stakeholders and regulators which has been growing increasingly strained, with constructive dialogue between the two parties largely absent. 

As a result, regulatory frameworks can sometimes be ineffective and create gambling industry risks, with well-intentioned companies forced to comply with draconian measures while unlicensed parties are allowed to flourish.

Good connections

Given RubyPlay’s experience of multiple jurisdictions, it is an issue that chief financial officer Motti Gil and chief product officer Dr Eyal Loz view as critical to the future of igaming and the industry at large.

“Whenever there is a good connection between regulator and the industry, the regulation is more balanced,” Gil says. “In other places where there is almost no connection… the regulation achieves the opposite of its intention and drives players and operators to the non-regulated market, which is a pity.”

It is not simply a matter of compliance versus non-compliance – or indeed the watchdog waving a carrot or a stick. It is about how effectively incentives can be leveraged to shape behaviour across the ecosystem.

“I think it’s a question of incentives,” Dr Eyal says. “When incentives are aligned for suppliers, operators and players within a market, we see a very successful and healthy industry where players are protected.

“When you’ve got regulators that don’t create the right system of incentives, it can really harm the market and harm everyone – the players, the suppliers and the operators. 

“From a regulatory perspective, people have been gambling for 7,000 years, and slot machines have been around for 150 years. So, it’s better to have the right incentives in place to create a healthy ecosystem, rather than to close your eyes and pretend that people are not going to want to play those games.”

Regulatory opportunities

However, RubyPlay is keen to position itself so it can capitalise on regulatory opportunities, with effective compliance helping to weed out opportunistic businesses, leaving the path clear for operators and suppliers that are committed to the long game.

Gil, who joined RubyPlay in January after spells at NeoGames and Aspire Global, explains: “For me, regulatory issues are the big risk, but also the opportunity. It puts up certain barriers, and only companies that can cross them can really become important players in those markets.”

Underpinning this long-term focus from RubyPlay is a commitment to prioritising quality, long-term relationships with operators. Through this, RubyPlay’s goal is to create entertaining products that players love and operators’ trust.

Dr Eyal is adamant that the industry should not shy away from celebrating the value it brings to millions of engaged players.

“What we are actually creating are beautiful products,” he says. “We create real, meaningful experiences for players. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. It’s a thriving industry, and more regulated than many others that might be even more harmful.”

Overcoming the stigma

Such a perspective is refreshing in an industry in which there is still a lingering reputational stigma.

“There are certain players who live up to this bad reputation, but most of the industry will collaborate with regulators to maintain a healthy environment for the players,” Gil says. 

Indeed, for a sector that can boast increasingly robust safeguards, this reputational burden is misplaced, according to Dr Eyal.

“For many people who work in the industry, when you ask them what they do for a living, they won’t tell you they make gambling games. There’s almost this element of shame – and I think that’s a real shame.”

Understanding the customer

RubyPlay’s focus is on delivering something different for customers, in keeping with its ethos of personalisation. 

“You have to really understand what the customer needs, so you must have a strong relationship with them,” Dr Eyal says. “You need to understand what works for them and how they view themselves and their own IP. You need to come to this conversation with a really open mind and accept that your customers know themselves better than you.

“For example, a bespoke game for PokerStars should capture their unique spirit. For Betano in Brazil, soccer is a natural focus. So, the individuality of the brand is very important for delivering something that’s relevant.” 

Speed to market is also viewed as crucial, helping partner operators to leverage brand opportunities to their full potential.

“For so many competitors, it’s about their product. However, we put our customers first and try to empower their brands,” Dr Eyal adds.

“When a customer has a branding opportunity, it doesn’t last very long. So, when you come to a customer and say, ‘we can deliver original and relevant content to you in a really short period of time to reinforce your brand’, that really shows our value.”

Strategic diversification

This July, RubyPlay launched Koala Games, a brand-new independent game studio created as part of the company’s strategic diversification initiative.

Operating with full creative independence, Koala Games is backed by RubyPlay’s extensive infrastructure, market expertise and, crucially, its robust distribution network.

“We have a very good understanding of distribution and how distribution can play a key role,” Dr Eyal says. “It’s not enough just to make really good content; it’s about where you take the content and who your partners are – and we like to be a partner of choice. The key is to understand the marriage of really strong content with really strong distribution, and that produces a stable company that is turning into a global player.”

Future growth

“It’s no longer a small company,” says Dr Eyal, who describes the transformation since 2018, when RubyPlay was founded by “a bunch of people who have substantial experience in creating very successful content studios”.

RubyPlay has more than 70 direct operator partners, reaching thousands of brands via distribution. The igaming development studio is planning to launch over 100 games this year alone.

The US remains a key target and, after launching with the likes of Rush Street Interactive and FanDuel, Gil insists RubyPlay is only “just starting our journey there”.

He adds: “The plan is to continue and to expand into other regulated states and we are working on additional licences, as well as continuing to expand our market share in existing markets in the US.”

However, there are also further opportunities elsewhere, including in Africa and Latin America. RubyPlay is aiming to build on its presence as a leading supplier in South Africa by exploring other emerging markets across the continent, while the company already holds a 4% share of Brazil’s emerging market and is the second-largest supplier in Argentina.

With an eye on the remainder of the year and a positive outlook more generally for the future of the gambling industry, Gil acknowledges that lofty “quantitative and qualitative” strategic goals are on the horizon.

“We’re getting into additional regulated markets and the focus of RubyPlay is to create value for shareholders as a meaningful company,” he concludes. “We are almost halfway through the year, and so far, it looks very positive for us in terms of meeting our ambitious targets. So, things look good for 2025.”

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Want to find out more? RubyPlay will be launching a new podcast with iGaming Business soon – so watch this space.