Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/608340
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 29 NOVEMBER 2015 X Gaming in Malta X Gaming in Malta An interview with the CEO of the King of Mobile Casino How did LeoVegas start? Go back to 2011 and think of how mobile devices were transitioning from primarily a communication device to one where entertainment started to play a more important role. Spurred on by this mindset and various ad- vancements in network technologies, mobile applications started to boom. Moreover, mobile data usage costs started to decrease and the inevitable result was that more and more people started switching to smartphones to the point that today there are more than 2 billion smartphone users in the world. The fun and playfulness in mobile usage was what stimulated the launch of LeoVegas in January 2012. From the very beginning, LeoVegas' mantra was 'mobile first' and that is why LeoVegas launched simultaneously for mobile, tablet and desktop. Thanks to the innovative, cutting-edge tech- nologies used, customers discovered something new and exciting at LeoVe- gas and since then an ever-increasing number of players have found their way to LeoVegas. Today, our slogan, 'King of Mobile Casino', is very much a reality. How do you measure growth? In our industry, growth can be looked at from vari- ous angles. Since starting out, we have increased the number of game sup- pliers and also the range of games on offer fivefold. Additionally, during 2014, LeoVegas' customer base continued to grow and in return we've seen a 132% growth in revenues. During the past years we've also won our fair share of international awards, such as the prestigious eGam- ing Review (EGR) Operator Award for Mobile Casino Prod- uct of the Year 2013, as well as the 2014 EGR Innovation Awards for Innovation in Mobile and Tablet and for Best Innova- tion in Casino. LeoVegas was also declared the winner of the 'Slots App of the Year' at the 2014 Gaming App Awards and made it to the EGR Power 50 most influential gaming operators list, ranking first in mobile. Earlier this week LeoVe- gas won the EGR Operator Award for Slots Operator of the Year award and Affiliate Programme of the Year award. Moreover, earlier this year LeoVegas took mobile gaming to a new level as we have set a new world record for the largest single jackpot slot machine win on a mobile device ever – €5.6 million. What does it mean to work at LeoVegas? Despite our commercial success and industry recognition, what we are really proud of at LeoVegas is our most valued resource – our Lions, or as other companies would put it, personnel. I have to say that we have been lucky in this aspect as we have constantly been able to find the most talented and hardworking people. It is thanks to our Lions that we have grown from zero to being the leading mobile gaming company in Europe. The staff complement at LeoVegas is around 200, spread in our offices in Malta, Sweden and the UK. The atmosphere at LeoVegas is great – we have managed to maintain the startup culture where everyone can actively contribute towards the over- all success of the company. Our office in Sliema is the largest we have and hosts around 75% of our Lions. It's an amazing office - we have managed to create a great working environment with various recreational areas and terraces with stunning views. Our Lions benefit from various perks such as gym subsidies, free classes at one of the leading fitness clubs, a healthy snack bar that they can help themselves to at any time and also a free breakfast buffet every Friday. What careers do you offer at LeoVegas? The LeoVegas mission and vision are as relevant today as when we started out - to create the greatest mobile gaming experience and be number one in mobile casino. For this we require talented people who enjoy working together in breaking new ground whilst help- ing one another to make an impact and bring their ideas to life. There are many career paths to take and we always strive to develop our staff and encourage them to take on further responsibilities over time. As a company, we have various depart- ments and we are currently expanding in every area, such as Customer Sup- port, Design and UX, Payments and Fraud, Affiliate Managers, VIP team, CRM and Copywriter team, Market- ing and Ad Operations, Operations and Communications, IT, Finance and Legal, and Business Intelligence. What's in the pipeline for LeoVegas? Our goal is to keep on the growth trend and even accelerate it. We have various short- to long-term plans which should see our operations in Malta expanding further. For example, we want to acquire an even bigger foothold in our existing markets and also establish ourselves in new ones. Without giving away too much, I am sure that 2016 will be an exciting year for all of us at LeoVegas and that as a result we'll be on the lookout for more Lions to join our pride. Johan is CEO of LeoVegas Gam- ing Ltd. For more information about LeoVegas careers, visit www.leovegascareers.com MaltaToday met JOHAN STYREN, CEO of LeoVegas Gaming, to talk about the company's beginnings, its operations and their current growth rate gas and since then an ever-increasing number of players have found their way to LeoVegas. Today, our slogan, 'King of Mobile Casino', is very much a reality. How do you measure growth? In our industry, growth can be looked at from vari- ous angles. Since starting out, we have increased the number of game sup- pliers and also the range of games on offer fivefold. Additionally, during 2014, LeoVegas' customer base continued to grow and in return we've seen a 132% growth in revenues. During the past years we've also won our fair share of international awards, such as the prestigious eGam- ing Review (EGR) Operator Award for Mobile Casino Prod- uct of the Year 2013, as well as the 2014 EGR Innovation Awards for Innovation in Mobile and Tablet and for Best Innova- tion in Casino. LeoVegas was also declared the winner of the talented and hardworking people. It mobile gaming company in Europe. The staff complement at LeoVegas is around 200, spread in our offices in Malta, Sweden and the UK. The atmosphere at LeoVegas is great – we have managed to maintain the startup culture where everyone can actively contribute towards the over- all success of the company. Our office in Sliema is the largest we have and hosts around 75% of our Lions. It's an amazing office - we have managed to create a great working environment with various recreational areas and terraces with stunning views. Our Lions benefit from various perks such as gym subsidies, free classes at one of the leading fitness clubs, a healthy snack bar that they can help themselves to at any time and also a free breakfast buffet every Friday. What careers do you offer at LeoVegas? The LeoVegas mission and vision are as relevant today as when we started out - to create the greatest mobile gaming experience and be number one in mobile casino. For this we require talented people who enjoy working together in breaking new ground whilst help- Since starting out we have increased the number of game suppliers and also the range of games on offer fivefold Without giving away too much, I am sure that 2016 will be an exciting year for all of us at LeoVegas