Relax Gaming

The importance of aggregation in making a splash across the global iGaming scene has exploded in recent years, but what are the true strategies to achieving success within this space? Jennifer Buttigieg, Head of Commercial & Partnerships – Aggregation speaks with iGaming Expert to addresses the difficulty of flying high within such a clogged environment, why too much prominence is placed on size, how potential new partners are assessed and what has ensured that the studio has stood the test of time. Read the full interview here.

Aggregation has never held a more important position within the industry. However, with this comes a stark increase in competition. With this in mind, how difficult is carving a successful path within this space at the current time?

It is undoubtedly more difficult than it was several years ago, but not simply because there are more aggregators. The basic aggregation proposition is becoming increasingly difficult to differentiate. Access to a broad portfolio through a single integration is now expected, rather than being a differentiator in itself.

The real question is what an aggregator can offer beyond connecting content. That could be market access in regulated jurisdictions, commercial reach, compliance expertise or operational support, but it also comes down to being selective about where you can genuinely add value. 

For operators, what ultimately matters is reducing complexity and ensuring that the content delivered is relevant, reliable and commercially worthwhile.

There is an economic reality here too. Supporting a broad ecosystem of studios requires significant commercial, technical and operational resources, and not every integration will generate enough value to justify that investment.

We also are seeing an increasing number of studios, both emerging and established, with the technology and infrastructure to onboard other studios themselves. 

This is blurring the distinction between studio and aggregator, and further reinforces the need for aggregators to offer more than just access to content and distribution.

It often seems like aggregation is a race to secure the highest number of games possible. What’s your opinion with regards to this?

I think the industry has put too much emphasis on the size of the catalogue.

Of course, breadth matters. Operators want choice, and studios need distribution. But once an aggregator has reached a meaningful level of content, adding another hundred or thousand titles does not necessarily translate into a proportionate increase in value. 

Not every game will become a strong performer, so the real question is not how much content you can offer, but which content adds something meaningful to the ecosystem.

That is reflected in the way we approach aggregation at Relax. We have never aimed to say yes to every studio that wants to aggregate through us. 

We take a targeted approach, looking at the quality and positioning of the content, its market fit, alignment with our regulated-market strategy and, importantly, whether there is a genuine commercial opportunity for the partner.

What are the key qualities that you look for in a potential new integration partner, whether that be a studio large, small or somewhere in between?

Size is not the starting point for us. What matters is the underlying quality of the business, the strength of the content and whether there is a credible strategy behind it. 

We look at the studio’s roadmap, technical foundations, ability to operate reliably at scale, growth ambitions and, particularly for Relax, its regulated market expansion strategy. 

There also needs to be a realistic route to market and a reason why the partnership will create value for both the studio and our operator network. 

We do not want to integrate content simply to fill a category or add another logo to our portfolio. We are looking for businesses we can build with over time, and that requires the right people as well as the right product.

Relax Gaming has enjoyed continued growth within this area. What do you put that down to?

I think it comes down to the fact that we have built our aggregation business around our partners, rather than around the integration itself.

There are a lot of moving parts in aggregation: technology, compliance, legal, market access, distribution and commercial support, and getting them all pulling in the same direction efficiently is harder than it looks. 

The Relax difference is that we have highly capable teams across each of those areas who understand the business, are responsive and genuinely care about the success of the studios we work with.

We spend time understanding what our partners are trying to achieve, where they want to expand and how we can help. We guide our studios where we have the expertise, but we also learn from them. The best partnerships work both ways. 

Our Partner Commercial Team stays close to each studio beyond launch, identifying opportunities, addressing challenges and helping them make the most of the markets and operators available through Relax.

As we grow, we also recognise that this approach must continue to evolve. We’re constantly looking at how we can improve, listening to feedback and suggestions from our partners – both operators and studios, and adapting where we can. 

We’ve always worked to remain agile and easy to work with, and I think that’s reflected in the feedback we receive about our processes and relationships.

Ultimately, sustainable growth in aggregation is not achieved by completing an integration and moving on. It comes from building partnerships that continue to create value long after launch. 

Our ambition is to keep building an ecosystem where studios and operators thrive together, and the entire Relax ecosystem becomes stronger. Strong partnerships are the foundation of our business, which is why their success will always be central to how we grow.