A LOOK BACK – AND FORWARD


Fantasma Fredrik Johansson, Co-founder


It has been a big year for Fantasma Games but without doubt the most important occurrence was completing our Initial Public Offering on the NASDAQ First North back in March. The IPO was oversubscribed – we initially wanted to raise £1.8m but the total subscription amount hit £18.2m. Through the IPO, we added 1,000 new shareholders including some major investors such as Pontus Lindwall and KL Capital AB ( Knutsson & Lundström families joint venture company). Following the IPO, we have looked to expand our international footprint and recently made our debut in the fast-growing US market via a breakthrough deal with Scientific Games. We also made our first acquisition with the takeover of Wiener Games.


We are ramping up our international expansion in 2022. Not only will we launch our first games in the US market, but we will also debut in Italy, Spain and Greece. We are super focused on regulated markets and entering four markets over the next 12 months is a big step for us. We are also


Digital Isle of Man Tony Ure, Head of eGaming


I think the most important thing for me in 2021 was the return of live conferences and the ability to network in person. We had expected a drop in applications for Isle of Man licences with the cancellation of conferences worldwide, but quite the opposite – we have been inundated with applications. That being said, the ability to network face to face can be invaluable and I look forward to more events in the next 12 months where we can meet our new and existing customers.


I am excited to see the growth of the companies on the Isle of Man. We have had


Mr Gamble Tero Päivärinta, Head of Accounts


Looking back at the last 12 months, it is clear that successful online casino affi liate companies are no longer just content publishers. Those that have driven growth throughout the year are also technology specialists that have developed their own websites and platforms that allow them to scale while also delivering a superior user experience. This is exactly what we have done at Mr Gamble, launching a bespoke content management system that has allowed us to take total control over the content that we publish on the site. It has also enabled us to run multiple brands from just the one CMS, and that in turn has seen us go on something


of an acquisition spree to build out a network of brands. This includes domains Nettikasinot- ilman-rekisteröitymistä.com and Nettikasino-ilman-rekisteröitymistä.com, as well as websites UKBingoSites.co.uk and DailyCasinoBonus.co.uk plus our most recent


acquisition, TopCasinos. 2021 was also the year that online casino affi liates made their fi rst proper play in the US market. We went live in New Jersey and are in the process of securing licences in other states. We believe the US has the potential to be the biggest legal online gambling market in the world and next year I predict it will ramp up signifi cantly. I also believe that 2022 will be the year that talks about affi liate licensing in other markets outside of the US gather momentum. We fully support affi liates having to apply for and secure licences as it is the only way to effectively clear out the bad actors and ensure that players are being marketed to responsibly.


GIO JANUARY 2022 13


so many people wanting to move here but because of the pandemic, we were forced to close our borders. With our borders now open once again, we are starting to see new talent arrive on the island and I look forward to helping these companies to build their operations and community here. I see one of the big things for the sector being the use of tech to fulfil compliance requirements. Hopefully, regulators will start to align on international standards and as such tech suppliers will be able to meet global requirements and make the player acquisition process much easier for operators with tools


assessing various acquisition opportunities to help us enter new markets but to also strengthen our development abilities and bring more talent into the organisation. Of course, I am also looking forward to launching the incredible games that are set to roll off our production line throughout the year. Each brings something new to the market and has been developed around our ethos of creating slots that go beyond gambling. I think we will continue to see more jurisdictions regulate online gambling. It is clear that regulations protect players while also providing a framework in which businesses can thrive. This will provide additional opportunities for operators and developers to grow.


that satisfy the multiple regulators they are reporting to. We know Covid will be with us for a long time but I hope we can get to a point where we can manage to get back to some form of normal life and interact face to face with our friends and colleagues around the world.

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