Play971 Locks in IGT and Endorphina Deals, Signalling How Fast the UAE’s Only Licensed Gaming Platform Is Moving

Key Points

• On 21 July 2026, Play971 entered into content agreements with IGT and Endorphina, adding the IGT PlayDigital games such as Blackjack, Cleopatra, and Cats to the UAE’s only licensed iGaming platform.
• Prior to signing the Play971 agreement, Endorphina was already successful in securing its GCGRA Gaming-Related Vendor Licence (Tier II) on 24 May 2026.
• In November 2025, Play971 was established as the UAE’s only licensed iGaming and sports betting site within the GCGRA structure, operated by Coin Technology Projects LLC under Abu Dhabi’s Momentum Group.

UAE’s Only Licensed Gaming Operator Pulls in IGT and Endorphina in Rapid Content Push

Play971 has struck content deals with two of the industry’s most recognisable suppliers, IGT and Endorphina, announced publicly on 21 July 2026. The partnerships bring IGT’s PlayDigital library and a selected range of Endorphina slot titles to the UAE platform. No other licensed online gaming operator currently exists in the country, making every content deal Play971 signs a market first by default.

For global suppliers, these agreements say something plainly: the UAE is no longer a future consideration.

IGT Brings Player-Favourite Titles to Play971’s Growing Library

IGT’s side of the deal centres on its PlayDigital catalogue, with the company naming Blackjack, Cleopatra, and Cats as the lead titles going live for UAE players. Gil Rotem, CEO of Digital at IGT, put it plainly: “We are excited to bring top-performing IGT PlayDigital content through a collaboration rooted in innovation and integrity. Leveraging our proven portfolio of player-favourite titles, including Blackjack, Cleopatra, and Cats, we look forward to delivering a world-class entertainment experience that engages players and supports the continued growth of the UAE market.”

IGT’s reputation in regulated markets across the world is not one younger suppliers can quickly manufacture. Play971 gets something more than content here; it gets associated with a name that carries decades of licensed operation behind it.

Endorphina Entered with a Licence Already in Hand

This wasn’t a deal that the Prague-based slots provider walked into without anything in its pocket. Endorphina obtained the Gaming-Related Vendor Licence (Tier II) from the GCGRA in May 2026, putting the firm under the category of vendors of gaming machines and associated products. This puts Endorphina under the regulatory jurisdiction of the GCGRA and permits it to do business in all the Emirates.

The other development came a few weeks later with the partnership with Play971. In announcing the deal, Lohith Chittajallu, Endorphina’s Senior Manager of Partnerships and Expansion, was right on the mark in calling the market an early-stage one: “It’s great to be part of an industry which is just in the early stages of development. We think that our cooperation is a key to future growth opportunities, and we are looking forward to players enjoying the entertainment that Endorphina offers.”

The recognition by Chittajallu of an early-stage market was no mere choice of words. Speaking about the GCGRA authorisation in May, Džangar Jesenov, who is the head of compliance at Endorphina, stated almost the same thing. According to him, obtaining such a license was “an honour and a responsibility” for Endorphina. Moreover, he stressed that Endorphina is now among the leading providers of services worldwide if we speak of the number of jurisdictions where it obtained authorisations.

Play971’s Director Frames the Deals Around Responsibility, Not Just Content

Philippa Bowland, commercial gaming director at Play971, welcomed both partnerships in language that was careful rather than celebratory. “Every business relationship that we form is driven by our mission to deliver world-class, responsible gaming entertainment. We are proud to welcome IGT and Endorphina, two globally respected brands, as we continue raising the standard for gaming.”

The wording carries weight specific to this market. Play971 operates under public and regulatory scrutiny in a jurisdiction where commercial gaming is months, not decades, old. Responsible messaging is not just good practice here; it functions as a condition of public credibility.

A Platform That Has Covered a Lot of Ground Since November

Play971 first appeared on the GCGRA’s list of internet gaming and sports wagering licensees on 28 November 2025, operated by Coin Technology Projects LLC, part of Abu Dhabi’s Momentum Group, the business that also runs the UAE Lottery. A full rollout followed in December, making it the 19th licence the GCGRA had issued since its establishment in September 2023, and the only one covering online gaming and sports wagering.

The speed of what followed would be brisk for any operator. By June 2026, Play971 had launched football betting for UAE-based customers, timed to run alongside the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Access sits at 21 and over, and Dubai residents cannot use the platform, with Play971’s site stating that access depends on emirate-level regulatory frameworks. Users in Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah, and Sharjah have been able to reach the site without restriction.

June also brought a brand ambassador. Former Australian cricketer Brett Lee was confirmed as Play971’s first official ambassador on 11 June 2026, having made the UAE his home since retiring from international cricket. Cricket’s enormous following among the country’s large South Asian expatriate community made the appointment commercially logical. Bowland described Lee as “a natural fit” for the brand.

The Regulator Behind It All

GCGRA was founded in September 2023 by the UAE state news agency WAM with the scope of federal authority on all commercial gaming licensing and regulation in the UAE. Kevin Mullally was the first chief executive officer of the company. He is a highly experienced individual with 17 years of experience working in the Missouri Gaming Commission and Gaming Laboratories International. The chairman of GCGRA is Jim Murren. He was the chairman of MGM Resorts between 2008 and 2020.

Mullally stepped down earlier this year; Murren assumed the interim chief executive role. During Mullally’s tenure, the authority had already awarded the UAE Lottery licence to The Game LLC, a product that distributed more than AED147 million ($40 million) in prizes to over 100,000 players in its first year of operation.

Away from the online space, Wynn Resorts continues work on its $5.1 billion Al Marjan Island integrated resort in Ras Al Khaimah, operating under a GCGRA land-based gaming facility licence. Construction halted in late February 2026 following regional military tensions before resuming in March. The 2027 opening date remains the target.

Supplier entries have been arriving at a steady pace alongside the operator developments. Yolo Group picked up two GCGRA gaming-related vendor licences in October 2025, permitting it to supply iGaming content to licensed UAE operators. With IGT and Endorphina now added, the roster of suppliers carrying formal UAE standing is filling out quickly, each addition narrowing the gap between a framework on paper and a functioning commercial market.

Expert Analysis

The IGT and Endorphina deals matter less for the specific titles they bring and more for what they reveal about Play971’s rate of movement. Endorphina’s GCGRA licence landed in May; a content agreement with the UAE’s only licensed operator arrived weeks later. That timeline is not coincidental; it reflects a supplier market that wants to be present before the market matures, and a regulator that is processing applications without unnecessary delay. Play971, meanwhile, is stacking credibility with each named supplier, building a library that any future competitor would need years to match. For those watching from outside the Gulf, the combination of regulatory pace and supplier appetite is the story. The UAE’s online gaming market is not forming slowly. It is forming fast.