Exclusive Interview: Sharon McHugh on Pragmatic Play’s Casino Strategy, Innovation and Market Expansion
In an exclusive interview with iGaming News Today, Sharon McHugh, PR Director at Pragmatic Play, discusses the company’s approach to casino and live casino content following its recent award wins in Lisbon. She explains how established franchises, including Big Bass, The Dog House, Gates of Olympus and Sweet Bonanza, form part of the company’s offering, while data, creativity and audience feedback help inform future releases.
The conversation also explores potential developments across slots and live casino, including new mechanics, personalisation, localisation and the growing role of AI in product development. McHugh outlines how the company assesses investment opportunities according to their potential impact and return, from product customisation to regulatory expansion.
Q1. Pragmatic Play recently secured two awards in Lisbon. Beyond the recognition itself, what do these wins say about the company’s direction, and which areas of its strategy have contributed most to its position in the casino and live casino markets?
Sharon McHugh:
It’s further evidence that we’re consistently delivering on our promises. Our position as a market-leading content provider is one that has been carved over a long period, and we continue to push the boundaries of innovation and entertainment across the portfolio, not least slots and live casino. The investment in our products is clear, and recent years have seen us really drive some cutting-edge IP across both formats, from successful slot franchises to vibrant adventures in the live dealer space.
Q2. The casino content market is becoming increasingly crowded. What makes operators choose Pragmatic Play’s games, and what do you believe keeps the company competitive beyond the strength of its portfolio?
Sharon McHugh:
There are several different factors that enable us to maintain our best-in-class portfolio. We combine incredible breadth across our offering, allowing us to appeal to a wide range of player demographics, also with some really popular IP titles. Series such as Big Bass, The Dog House, Gates of Olympus, and Sweet Bonanza have allowed us to build on established favourites with dynamic mechanics, features, and huge multipliers, furthering the popularity of our games. When a player loads up a Pragmatic Play title, they know they’re going to get a highly polished product that will deliver excitement and the potential for excellent rewards.
Q3. Player preferences can be difficult to predict, even with strong data and market insights. How does Pragmatic Play identify which game concepts have real potential, and how does player and operator feedback influence future releases?
Sharon McHugh:
We approach it from both sides. We have an extensive portfolio that allows us to gather an enormous amount of data from different demographics all over the globe, and we use that to inform our game development as to what will resonate with players. At the same time, our team has a deep passion for games and a strong desire to bring their creativity and expressionism to life. We want that creativity to shine through in every release, creating experiences that resonate with players.
We also pay close attention to feedback from streamers, who often have a unique perspective on how games are experienced by different audiences. Ultimately, it’s a cocktail of innovation, data and insights and listening to our audience that helps us deliver games that people keep coming back to.
Q4. Pragmatic Play has established a strong presence in both slots and live casino. How do you see these two categories evolving, and where do you see the biggest opportunities for innovation over the next few years?
Sharon McHugh:
Innovation can take many forms, from incremental changes that transform a product to more radical, breakthrough developments. We’ve seen with crash games, green screen tech, or AR and VR that some verticals can evolve rapidly, while there can be smaller changes that influence the landscape, such as variable reel sizes or sticky increasing multipliers.
We see a lot of potential to deliver even more personalised and localised experiences, and AI, like any relevant and evolving technology, is playing a larger role in product development than ever before. We’re confident that we’ll be at the forefront of the industry for years to come as slots and live casino continue to evolve.
Q5. With investment opportunities spanning new game formats, live casino experiences, technology, and market expansion, how does Pragmatic Play decide where to focus its resources to deliver the greatest long-term impact?
Sharon McHugh:
Ultimately, we focus on the opportunities with the biggest potential return. Whether it’s product localisation, advanced customisation or a focus on regulatory expansion, we approach all opportunities equally, review our position, and then act decisively.
Q6. As regulation and responsible gaming expectations continue to evolve, how are these changes influencing game design, product development, and the way Pragmatic Play approaches different markets? Beyond compliance, how can these requirements encourage better products and player experiences?
Sharon McHugh:
Compliance and player protection are at the heart of our development process. With the regulatory landscape becoming increasingly complex and fluid, we have adapted our processes to ensure that players everywhere can enjoy a similarly exciting, high-quality entertainment experience. We still experiment with completely new concepts and mechanics wherever possible, but ultimately, compliance tends to stimulate innovation in very specific areas, and that lends itself to iterative game development.
About Pragmatic Play
Pragmatic Play is an iGaming content provider with offerings across slots and live casino games. In this interview, PR Director Sharon McHugh discusses the company’s portfolio strategy, highlighting established slot franchises such as Big Bass, The Dog House, Gates of Olympus and Sweet Bonanza, alongside its live dealer offering.
McHugh describes an approach to game development that combines data from different player demographics with creative thinking and feedback from streamers. She also highlights localisation, personalisation and AI as areas with potential to influence future product development.
The interview further explores how Pragmatic Play evaluates investment opportunities and incorporates compliance and player protection into its development processes.
