Virgin Games taken over

The Virgin Games brand, which incorporates Virgin Mobile Casino, one of our most highly recommended operators, has been acquired by Gamesys as part of their global expansion strategy.

While the company themselves may be unfamiliar to many readers, acting as they do behind the scenes and utilising other brand names for the majority of their gaming activities, they have been a major player in the UK and Europe for a number of years. The company was founded in 2001, three years before Virgin Games, and now boasts more than 700 people on their staff. The company is primarily associated with the provision of bingo games in its main markets, operating the backend software of the likes of Jackpotjoy and Sun Bingo. However, it also powers the Caesars Casino brand in partnership with Caesars Entertainment Corporation of Las Vegas, meaning that it has extensive experience in the field, while also providing a range of its own slots and casino games to partners around the world.

The company was recently in the news following Facebook’s decision to allow companies to offer real money gambling on the platform for users that are 18 years of age or older. This came in the form of the internally developed Bingo Friendzy title, which is exclusive for the UK market but serves as a frontrunner in the addition of real money gaming to social platforms.

Virgin Games itself was, as with the vast majority of Virgin properties, directly owned by the Virgin Group and headed by Richard Branson. Branson himself lauded the deal, identifying it as an opportunity to promote the gaming brand around the world with an established partner. Simon Burridge, the CEO of Virgin Games, was similarly complementary about Gamesys, identifying them as a partner with a proven track record in growth and innovation.

For the player, little is likely to change. Part of the appeal of Virgin Mobile Casino has always been the fact that they have positioned themselves more as a game aggregator than a conventional mobile casino, hand picking the best titles from a number of different operators. Gamesys looks set to continue in the same mould, with the addition of their own mobile games in preparation for a full re-launch of the system in the first quarter of 2013.

The news will come as little surprise to those that keep a keen eye on the industry as, while never made official, it has been common knowledge over the past few months that Virgin Games was looking for outside investment in order to take them to the next level around Europe. This could well be the very deal that does that, leading to an influx of European players to the Virgin Mobile Casino and other properties under their umbrella, including an online casino and poker room.