Israel, as a gaming hub, is growing with each passing year. There have already been successes across the board in gaming companies within the country, and we’re now at a stage where Israeli development teams have at least a couple of content drops a day, impacting global markets and charts. But who are the magnates behind this new wave, and why are they renowned for their generosity?
One of the biggest names in gaming is, of course, the leading slot game development studio Playtech. Playtech are renowned for creating content such as the Age of the Gods franchise, Buffalo Blitz, Gem Heat and Frankie Dettori’s Magic Seven. They’re one of the most respected development teams in the iGaming sector, and Playtech was founded in 1999 by Israeli magnate Teddy Sagi, who was born in Tel-Aviv in 1971 and has since appeared on the Forbes rich list.
As is the case with a lot of top iGaming studios, Playtech’s content quickly became highly sought after by leading names, with one of them being Entain-owned PartyCasino, which is a high-profile brand with various charitable activities ongoing. Playtech themselves, too, a move led by Sagi when he was the main shareholder, are a software provider that prides themselves on giving time, skills and money to charitable organisations and causes. It continues to be the case even though Sagi has since diluted his shares to a small holding in order to focus on other business ventures, such as real estate.
Another gaming company out of Israel that continues to enjoy great success since being founded in 2004, five years after Playtech, is Playrix. The mobile-focused studio was brought to life by Israeli brothers Igor Bukhman and Dmitry Bukhman, with content from Playrix, such as Homescapes and Fishdom, becoming popular worldwide. In terms of how successful Playrix has become in the last near two decades, the company is now one of the top three operators in the mobile gaming arena, with both founders entering the Forbes list as billionaires.
And Playrix are arguably one of the leading brands when it comes to their generosity and charitable work too. You only have to look back to last year when they ran one of their many schemes, which saw $115,000 immediately available for current employees to request charitable causes close to their hearts. In the end, the money was split across eighteen projects, which helped towns in thirteen areas around the globe.
While many will think that gaming companies are only out to secure profit, most of them are often fully invested in giving back in some way, shape or form. And, as we’ve seen from two of the world’s leading brands, which were founded by Israeli magnates, this continues to be the case. And it’s imperative, especially as there are always challenges facing people in an ever-changing universe, so the donated money and time will always have a significantly positive impact.
