WHOW Games
WHOW Games GmbH is a Hamburg-based free-to-play social casino publisher serving millions of European consumers with slot, poker, and roulette games under its Jackpot.de and MyJackpot.com brands, monetised via virtual currency, affiliate programmes, and advertising. It operates as a subsidiary of DoubleDown Interactive (NASDAQ:DDI) following its July 2025 acquisition.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersHamburg, Germany
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What WHOW Games does
WHOW Games GmbH is a Hamburg-based developer and publisher of free-to-play social casino games, founded in 2015 and operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of DoubleDown Interactive (NASDAQ:DDI) since July 2025. Its core offering is a 100% legal social casino platform with no real-money payouts, featuring slot machines (including proprietary titles such as 'Ramses Book'), poker, and roulette, delivered via owned web portals — most prominently Jackpot.de and MyJackpot.com — as well as iOS and Android apps, playable in over 10 European languages. The platform supports cross-device play, integrates third-party payment processors for virtual currency purchases, and embeds analytics, crash reporting, and a broad set of advertising trackers for performance marketing optimisation.
The business operates a freemium model monetised primarily through in-game virtual currency purchases, supplemented by an affiliate programme (coordinated via [email protected]) and digital advertising partnerships. User acquisition is driven by long-standing distribution agreements with major European media platforms — including GMX, T-Online, NBC Universal, SpilGames, Webedia, and Polish portals Interia, Wirtualna Polska, and Onet — alongside direct paid social and display campaigns through networks such as Taboola, Outbrain, The Trade Desk, and Google Ads. The company self-describes as the market leader in Germany's social casino segment, serving millions of users across Europe from a Hamburg headquarters employing over 80 people from six nationalities.
WHOW Games generates revenue exclusively from B2C consumer activity; it has no publicly disclosed enterprise customers or named commercial anchors. The company is GDPR-compliant and operates within a clearly regulated niche — no real-money gambling — which reduces licensing complexity relative to real-money operators and supports its distribution partnerships. After being divested by Azerion in July 2025, WHOW was acquired by DoubleDown Interactive for approximately €55 million plus an earn-out of up to €10 million, positioning it within a larger, publicly traded social casino and iGaming portfolio with potential for cross-portfolio product, content, and geographic expansion.
WHOW Games firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- WHOW Games
- Legal name
- Whow Games GmbH
- Website
- https://whow.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- WHOW Games GmbH is a Hamburg-based free-to-play social casino publisher serving millions of European consumers with slot, poker, and roulette games under its Jackpot.de and MyJackpot.com brands, monetised via virtual currency, affiliate programmes, and advertising. It operates as a subsidiary of DoubleDown Interactive (NASDAQ:DDI) following its July 2025 acquisition.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
WHOW Games industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Social Casino Gaming
- NAICS
- Amusement Arcades (713120), Gambling Industries (7132)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Online Casino Studios & Game Publishers (Slots, RNG, Live Dealer) (MPAEABAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Sweepstakes/Free-to-Play & Social Poker Apps (MPAEAEAD), iGaming Platform Providers (Turnkey/Casino & Sportsbook Platforms) (MPAEAKAA)
Keywords
Where WHOW Games is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hamburg
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
WHOW Games business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- In-game virtual currency purchases: Users purchase in-game virtual currency to play social casino games; no real money payouts are made to players. This is the primary revenue driver for the free-to-play social casino model.
- Affiliate and performance marketing partnerships: WHOW Games operates an affiliate program (contact via [email protected]) through which partners monetize their user traffic by directing players to WHOW Games brands. Revenue is generated through commissions on referred players.
- Digital advertising and tracking-based marketing: The company embeds third-party trackers and advertising pixels (Google Ads, Adality, AdCell, AppNexus, Facebook Analytics, Taboola, Outbrain, The Trade Desk, and others) and shares pseudonymised behavioural data for targeted advertising and performance marketing campaigns, contributing to revenue generation.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free-to-play access with optional in-game currency purchases |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
WHOW Games product offering
Product offeringCore offering
WHOW Games develops and publishes free-to-play social casino games accessible via web browsers and mobile apps, including slot machines (such as 'Ramses Book'), poker, and roulette. The platform is monetized through in-game virtual currency purchases with no real-money payouts to players. The company operates consumer-facing brands Jackpot.de and MyJackpot.com in over 10 languages across Europe.
Product overview
WHOW Games operates a portfolio of social casino brands and an innovative social gaming platform. The company develops and publishes free-to-play online social casino games accessible via web browsers and app stores. Key products include the Jackpot brand (jackpot.de, myjackpot.com) offering slot machines like 'Ramses Book', poker, and roulette without real money payouts. The company positions itself as Germany's market leader in social casino gaming, with operations spanning over 10 languages and serving millions of users across Europe through its Hamburg-based development studio.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Jackpot: A 100% legal social casino brand with no real money payouts, featuring casino-style games such as slot machines like 'Ramses Book', poker, and roulette. Available on web and as a mobile app.
- Jackpot.de
- MyJackpot.com
Products and services
- Jackpot (Jackpot.de)
Quantifiable outcome
- Served millions of users across Europe with fast-growing engagement in Germany and beyond
Companies that use WHOW Games
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
WHOW Games technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature1 record
WHOW Games partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, moderate and minor.
- GMXcoreMajor German online portal and email service provider (GMX.net) partnering with WHOW Games for the distribution of social casino content and user acquisition. GMX is one of the largest internet service providers in Germany.
- T-OnlinecoreGermany's largest web portal (t-online.de) partnered with WHOW Games for user distribution. T-Online's massive audience provides significant traffic and player acquisition for WHOW Games' social casino brands.
- NBC UniversalmoderateNBC Universal's German operations (nbcuniversal.de) partner with WHOW Games to distribute social casino gaming content, leveraging NBC's media reach in Germany.
- SpilGamesmoderateSpilGames (spilgames.com), a global social gaming platform and network, partners with WHOW Games for content distribution and player acquisition across their network.
- InteriaminorPolish web portal (interia.pl) partnered with WHOW Games for social casino game distribution in Poland. Interia is one of the most visited websites in Poland.
- WebediamoderateWebedia, a French digital media group with gaming-focused properties (Webedia.com), partners with WHOW Games for content distribution and media promotion of social casino games across its European network.
- Wirtualna PolskaminorWirtualna Polska (wp.pl), one of Poland's largest internet portals, partners with WHOW Games to distribute social casino content to Polish-speaking audiences.
- OnetminorOnet.pl, a major Polish web portal and online platform, partners with WHOW Games for social casino game distribution in Poland.
- NetEntmoderateNetEnt (netent.com), a leading provider of digital casino gaming content, provides casino game software integrated into WHOW Games' platform, enabling the delivery of premium slot and casino game titles.
- DoubleDown InteractivecoreDoubleDown Interactive Co., Ltd. (NASDAQ:DDI) acquired WHOW Games GmbH from Azerion on July 14, 2025, for approximately €55 million with a potential earn-out of up to €10 million. The acquisition expands DoubleDown's presence in the European social casino market, where WHOW Games holds a significant user base, particularly in Germany.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
WHOW Games competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
WHOW Games social profiles
Digital presenceWHOW Games compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
WHOW Games financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
WHOW Games leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
WHOW Games funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
WHOW Games M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about WHOW Games
What does WHOW Games do?
WHOW Games develops and publishes free-to-play social casino games accessible via web browsers and mobile apps, including slot machines (such as 'Ramses Book'), poker, and roulette. The platform is monetized through in-game virtual currency purchases with no real-money payouts to players. The company operates consumer-facing brands Jackpot.de and MyJackpot.com in over 10 languages across Europe.
Is WHOW Games a public or private company?
WHOW Games is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was WHOW Games founded?
WHOW Games was founded in 2015. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is WHOW Games based?
WHOW Games is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does WHOW Games make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. In-game virtual currency purchases are the primary driver. The others are affiliate and performance marketing partnerships and digital advertising and tracking-based marketing.
Does WHOW Games have an API?
No public API is recorded for WHOW Games.
What industry is WHOW Games in?
WHOW Games's product category is Social Casino Gaming. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAEABAJ, Online Casino Studios & Game Publishers (Slots, RNG, Live Dealer), with a secondary code of MPAEAEAD, Sweepstakes/Free-to-Play & Social Poker Apps. Its NAICS code is 713120.