Skip to main content

How Softswiss Built a $1B iGaming Ecosystem and Achieved 80% Profitability

6/17/2024
Softswiss
Ivan Montik
Softswiss
www.softswiss.com
Berlin, GermanyFounded 2009
💰
Monthly Revenue
Undisclosed
👨‍💼
Founders
Ivan Montik
👥
Employees
2000
🏢

Business Description

Softswiss is a global software provider for the online gambling industry, offering a comprehensive ecosystem of platforms for casino management, payment processing, game aggregation, affiliate marketing, and jackpot services. Their solutions power over 800 brands and handle billions in turnover each month.
📝

Executive Summary

Softswiss began in 2009 as a German-speaking web-development outfit. After a payment-dispute pivot, founder Ivan Montik shifted to product-first software for online casinos. He built a modular ecosystem—platforms for management, games, affiliate tracking, jackpots, and crypto payments—reaching over €10 billion in monthly gaming volume and 80% profitability without external investors.
📄

Case Study Content

Background and Early Days

In 2009, Ivan Montik launched Softswiss as a small outsourcing firm targeting German, Austrian, and Swiss clients. Services included website builds, SEO, and ad campaigns. A turning point came when a client asked for auction software. After a payment dispute, Montik kept the code rights and repackaged it. Orders flooded in and the team realized a repeatable product offered far more upside than one-off projects.

Founder’s Early Ventures

Long before Softswiss, Montik sold champagne door-to-door while still in school, launched a web studio during his university years, and co-owned a car wash chain. Each side venture taught him forecasting, team building, and how to exit when partnerships split. A stint as a bank credit manager sharpened his analytics skills and contacts list.

Shift to a Product-Centric Model

Seeing the revenue potential in gaming software, Montik led a pivot. In 2012, Softswiss launched its first online casino platform on a revenue-share model. The focus moved from client services to building a full gaming engine that managed users, transactions, and reports. Initial platforms included a handful of slots and core user-management features.

Building a Full-Service Ecosystem

Reliance on third parties slowed innovation. When a German acquirer refused to support Ethereum, Softswiss built CoinsPaid, a crypto processor handling billions in volume. Affilka, the affiliate tool, was next. Over time they launched a game aggregator with 185 providers, a jackpot service, and a payments hub called FinteqHub. Each service runs independently but connects via APIs.

Handling Conflicts and Adaptation

Early investors once tried to seize Softswiss by hiring staff and copying the code. Montik and a loyal partner regrouped, reclaimed control, and made all key development in-house. This reinforced a “keep core tech close” culture, ensuring no future partner can stall your roadmap.

Scaling Operations

Today, Softswiss deploys over 2,000 staff—500 of them developers—to support 800 brands. The game aggregator alone turns over €10 billion a month. With margins reported as high as 80%, the holding reinvests heavily into new tools and regional expansion in Africa, Asia, and North America.

Future Plans

Montik has turned down six- and seven-figure offers, believing the ecosystem’s value will eclipse $1 billion. The company remains privately held. Ongoing R&D focuses on blockchain gaming, mobile wallet integrations, and turnkey betting setups for new markets.

💡

Key Takeaways

  • 1Softswiss pivoted from client services to product-first, securing code rights after a payment dispute and multiplying revenue streams.
  • 2Building in-house tools like CoinsPaid and Affilka solved real pain points and avoided third-party roadblocks.
  • 3A modular architecture lets clients pick and mix platform, affiliate, jackpot, and crypto solutions, driving higher per-customer revenue.
  • 4Control over core services enabled margins up to 80%, setting Softswiss apart in the iGaming software market.
  • 5From one developer to 2,000 employees, Softswiss scaled operations methodically to support 800+ global brands.
  • 6Maintaining full ownership and bootstrapping allowed strategic freedom and reinvestment into new products without external pressure.
📊

Key Facts

Monthly Game Turnover
€10B
Company Valuation
$1B
Client Brands
800+
🛠️

Tools & Technologies Used

🔒

Premium Content Locked

Subscribe to access the tools and technologies used in this case study.

Subscribe Now
🚀

How to Replicate This Success

🔒

Premium Content Locked

Subscribe to access the step-by-step replication guide for this case study.

Subscribe Now
Share:
✍️

About the Author

Founders Hut Logo

Founders Hut

Founders Hut is a leading online platform dedicated to sharing thousands of in-depth business case studies from successful companies around the globe. Since its launch, Founders Hut has empowered entrepreneurs, marketers, and corporate innovators with actionable insights drawn from real-world successes and failures.

Interested in Being Featured?

Share your success story with our community of entrepreneurs.

Get Featured
Disclaimer: Some data in these case studies may be inaccurate or out of date. In certain cases, AI-generated content is used.