People often assume a supplier the size of Pragmatic Play must be publicly listed or owned by a single parent. It is not. The company runs on a three-part structure: a private investor group that owns it, a CEO who runs it, and a separate services business that supports it. Get those three pieces straight, and the whole picture makes sense.
Here is how they fit together.
Who owns Pragmatic Play?
Ownership sits with a private group of investors led by Veridian (Gibraltar) Limited. The company is not publicly traded, and its shareholder details are not disclosed, which is fairly standard for iGaming groups of this scale. There is no single corporate parent and no stock ticker, just a privately held structure that keeps the ownership details in-house.
What is ARRISE?
The second piece is ARRISE, and little of what Pragmatic Play does reaches players without it. It is a separate international services group, essentially a global software development and services operation serving the iGaming sector, with its base in Gibraltar and a working footprint that stretches across numerous global locations, including Malta, Canada, India, Latvia, Romania, Serbia and Ukraine. Everything that supports the brand behind the scenes runs through it: building the products, keeping the tech and IT running, and handling marketing, events and the commercial side.
Who is the CEO of Pragmatic Play?
The third piece is leadership. Julian Jarvis is co-founder and CEO. His background spans investment, law and executive roles across the internet, online gaming and technology, in startups and both private and public companies. He was an early legal and business specialist in the internet sector during the AOL Time Warner era, then in 2004 was recruited by the founders of what became PartyGaming, which kicked off his iGaming career.
His leadership has pushed the portfolio wider and taken the company deeper into regulated markets including the UK, Switzerland, Italy and Latin America. He has also led on responsible gaming standards and charitable work, including support for charities such as GimSams, Calpe House and St John Ambulance in Gibraltar where the company is headquartered.
Who else sits on the leadership team?
Senior leadership has grown with the company, pulling in experienced people from iGaming and other sectors. Mark Maislish joined as Chief Revenue Officer in November 2024, bringing a finance background with senior roles at Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. He is responsible for revenue performance and international expansion. Irina Cornides serves as Chief Operating Officer since 2022. Prior to joining Pragmatic Play she held senior roles at Gamesys and BGO Group.
When was Pragmatic Play founded?
Pragmatic Play launched in 2015, headquartered in Gibraltar, with an early focus on high-quality slots and live casino content for regulated markets. It chased licensing in the markets that matter to serious operators, including the UK, Malta, Italy, Sweden, Ontario and Brazil. The catalogue soon delivered franchises like Big Bass, Sweet Bonanza and Gates of Olympus. Live casino arrived in 2019 with around 50 tables and now exceeds 500, with over 1,000 more planned across the next two years.
Is Pragmatic Play licensed and regulated?
On the regulatory side, Pragmatic Play carries approval from a roster of well-regarded authorities across Europe and beyond, the Gambling Commission of Great Britain, the Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner and the Malta Gaming Authority included. In total that is licences or certifications spanning more than 30 markets, with the catalogue available in over 30 languages and more than 170 currencies through one API integration.
How the structure fits together
Pragmatic Play is privately owned by investors led by Veridian (Gibraltar) Limited, run by co-founder and CEO Julian Jarvis, and supported by ARRISE, a separate services group.
David Prior
David Prior is the editor of Today News, responsible for the overall editorial strategy. He is an NCTJ-qualified journalist with over 20 years’ experience, and is also editor of the award-winning hyperlocal news title Altrincham Today. His LinkedIn profile is here.
