15: Stride Gaming (2016)
Stride Gaming only made its debut in the Power 50 last year but has leapt up the rankings from 31st to 15th place on the back of strong organic growth and strategic bolt-on acquisitions.
The bingo-led operator recently secured a top-five position in the competitive online UK bingo market following its £70m deal for rivals Tarco and 8Ball Games and Stride management is keen to continue its acquisitive strategy – it was recently rumoured to be among those interested in all or part of Intertain (Jackpotjoy).
Prior to the two additions, the AIM-listed company reported a 29% year-on-year increase in H1 2016 profi ts with the company seemingly feeling the margin benefits of its proprietary technology.
Stride now plans to expand into other soft gaming verticals, such as scratchcards and lottery products, to complement bingo, but whether that will be executed through organic growth or M&A remains to be seen.