The live casino game supplier Ezugi will officially be entering the UK market after they were handed an operating licence by the Gambling Commission.
The firm, which was acquired by industry powerhouse Evolution back in 2018, has received certification for eleven of its games already, and will be free to launch these to UK players in the first quarter of 2022. The rest of their library is expected to follow imminently.
The available games, which will be available via some of Evolution’s licensed partners, are:
- Roulette
- Auto-Roulette
- Blackjack
- Unlimited Blackjack
- Baccarat
- Lucky 7
- Dragon Tiger
- Cricket War
- Andar Bahar
For the uninitiated, Andar Bahar is a card game that originated in India. It requires players to bet on which pile a card will appear in first – inside or outside.
The business development director at Ezugi, Pang Goh, is ‘looking forward’ to the next stage of the brand’s history.
“This is a very significant step for Ezugi and its growth,” he said.
“Obtaining the GC certificates signifies our continuous efforts to reach the absolute highest industry standards.
“I believe UK operators will benefit from Ezugi’s expertise in not only localised content and markets, but also from our large and innovative games offering.
“We are looking forward to this next chapter and to providing our best performing games to UK players.”
Goh added that the initial collection of games was selected to ‘appeal to a broad audience of operators and players.’
Who are Ezugi?
Founded back in 2012 and headquartered in Romania, Ezugi were the main competition to Evolution in the live casino niche, delivering more than 20 different titles to more than 100 operators and partners around the globe.
They established studios for capturing live gaming content in nine different countries, and it was this footprint – not to mention the firm’s extensive licensing – that convinced Evolution to gobble up their rivals in an initial $12 million (£8.8 million) takeover.
At the time, Evolution’s CEO Martin Carlesund said:
“It is a very logical next step for Evolution which will increase our market share in key existing markets, like the US, where Ezugi’s presence and customer base will add to our on-going market expansion, as well as add licensees in new markets such as South Africa.”
The newly-formed duo starting building some considerable relationships in the sector. Back in April 2021, they hooked up with the Italian firm Sisal, who are one of the largest online gaming operators in mainland Europe. In the running for the next UK lottery licence, Sisal has since been acquired by Flutter – strengthening Ezugi’s market share as a result.
Just three months after penning the Sisal deal, Ezugi announced that they had partnered with the pan-European sportsbook and casino NetBet as well.
The firm’s designs on world domination were solidified when they made one of their first moves into the American market, sealing a deal with casino behemoth Caesars Entertainment back in December 2020.