If there was ever a good time to invest in online gambling companies, it’s now. These companies have suffered a boost in revenues following the COVID 19 pandemic and increased reliance on technology. Presently, more people gamble on their phones and desktops than they do in land-based casinos. With increased investments in mobile apps, wearable gaming devices, digital currency support, and AI technology, online gaming is only set to get better. LeoVegas is one such company that has witnessed this spike in online gaming, and the numbers show as much. On 6th March 2020, a share in this online gaming company was available at 26.10 SEK, but on 5th March 2021, the same share was trading at 40.22 SEK. What a significant change in only one year!
What is LeoVegas AB?
LeoVegas AB is a Swedish gambling company whose stocks are listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. LeoVegas Gaming Limited, its subsidiary offers online casino games and sports betting available on mobile phones. Interestingly, when Gustaf Hagman and Robin Ramn-Ericson first came up with the idea in 2011, they were only interested in online games. They had the idea to create a website that would work on desktops and mobile devices. They thus launched LeoVegas, which was a hit because, at the time, many people had come to rely on their smartphones to access online sites. However, most gaming sites at the time lagged on mobile devices, so their site took off without a hitch, hence its early-on success.
Later, the founders realized that they could cast a much wider net into the target market if they also incorporated sports betting which was also a success. A decade later, the company boasts a wide reach into the Nordic countries. Moreover, it has a significant audience in the UK and other European countries. As online betting continues to make waves across the globe, this company has not held back on its expansion plans. Chile and Peru are but some of its target markets in the wake of this growth strategy.
Breaking Down the Structure
The company presently boasts more than 930 employees, some of whom work for the parent company, while others are employed under its subsidiaries. Key among the subsidiaries is LeoVegas, which is an online gaming company based in Malta. It runs both online casino games and online sports betting operations.
Gears of Leo is another critical part of the operations, a subsidiary based in Sweden, which handles the technical development aspects of the gaming company. LeoVegas AB also has offices in Italy, the UK, and Poland, which have propelled its growth into these key gaming markets.
Other subsidiaries include LeoVentures LTD, World of Sportsbetting Limited, Leo Vegas International Ltd, Leo Vegas Mobile Gaming Group, Authentic Gaming Ltd, and Expekt Nordics Ltd.
Licensing
Any reputable online gaming company must acquire licensing. LeoVegas, the subsidiary based in Malta that caters to online gaming, has licenses in all regions it serves- This enables it to operate in specific jurisdictions and fosters trust among the online players. For example, when the company first expanded to Germany in 2018, it acquired a license in the region. In 2019, Sweden finally allowed online gambling companies to acquire licenses to offer gaming services in the country. LeoVegas was fast to rise to the occasion to serve the clients in its parent company HQs and was among the first companies to get a Swedish license. The company also holds licenses in other regions based on the governing bodies, including:
- The UK (the UK gambling commission),
- Spain (Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego), and
- Other markets (under the Maltese Gaming Authority).
Growth
When LeoVegas first hit the scene in 2011, very few companies operated mobile-friendly websites. This innovative idea put LeoVegas yards ahead of the competition, so much so that the number of customers grew from 54,283 in 2013 to a whopping 100,745 in 2014! Their numbers were doubling. By 2015, the number of users had hit 202,498! As the numbers grew, so did the revenues, reaching €83 million in 2015 from €37 million in 2014!
Like any other company that’s keen on expansion, LeoVegas has not held back on acquisitions over the years. In 2017, it acquired Winga S.R.L (an Italian operator), Royal Panda, and a 51% stake in GameGrounds United. The following year, it took over Rocket X and acquired a 51% stake in Pixel Holding Group LTD.
These are but some of the changes that have pushed it to its €3.278 billion today. So, is this a good time to invest in LeoVegas? Why, yes!
