Mancala Gaming Interview with Emiliano Sanchez
Emiliano Sanchez shares an inside view of Mancala’s growth into a forward-looking gaming brand in just a few years, with an innovation-focused strategy aimed at expanding its diverse casino-game portfolio.
We interviewed Emiliano Sanchez, Chief Commercial Officer at Mancala Gaming, about the company’s beginnings and direction. The discussion touches on its origins, current challenges, key partners, and ambitions for the years ahead.
Q1: Thanks for joining us for this interview. Can you introduce Mancala Gaming, tell us how it got started, and explain the strategy behind the company? You’re a relatively “young” business, but you already have a strong range of games.
I’m delighted to be here. In 2019, our CEO Nikita, CTO Sergey, CMO Lucie, and I got together to discuss industry trends, social changes, and the gaps between game providers and operators. By then, we had each worked in different areas of the industry, with a combined 25 years of experience. We understood both the opportunities and the challenges involved in starting a brand, and decided that making a difference meant taking the leap. I’m very glad we did. After securing investment, we acquired an established game portfolio and started building our own studio.
Our experience on both sides of the business has shaped a “B2B2C” strategy. The goal is to bring social casino, traditional casino, and video games closer together, while giving operators fresh ways to retain players without requiring extra development resources. We also offer flexibility in commercial arrangements, informed by our understanding of the different costs operators deal with.
Q2: What challenges is Mancala Gaming facing today, and did the pandemic change your strategy?
As a young provider, we face the familiar challenges of distributing our games and building brand recognition. The pandemic made things harder when in-person trade shows stopped. We had to adapt quickly, and our partner network across different jurisdictions has helped us gradually take our games into more markets. Our system also lets operators offer players additional rewards flexibly, without involving support staff, which can help with long-term retention. Our studio’s games have raised expectations for both mechanics and themes. With our teams and adaptable approach, we are making progress in several markets at once.
Q3: Which casino partners do you work with most closely? Where have you seen the strongest results, and what has helped drive them?
Established partners such as Vbet, Playamo, and 1xBet have helped us reach different markets. We also had new partnerships that we looked forward to announcing, with the aim of strengthening our position in Europe. At the time, we were finalizing deals in Latin America and Asia to extend our distribution there. It’s natural to talk about countries: we were growing quickly in the CIS and making progress in Europe and Latin America. But we also track measures that span B2B and B2C, such as total play and player retention. Our catalogue is designed to appeal to older audiences as well as millennials and generation X. We want to take a different approach to the audience, just as we’re doing with the business. Starting the company in Prague gave us the chance to build a truly international team, with experience from many places. That perspective helps us create games suited to cultural and geographic differences, as well as different generations.
Q3: How does your in-house studio operate? Some releases stand out—Zero Day, for instance, combines modern and retro elements. What inspired it?
We’re lucky to have talented people who work together smoothly across teams, almost like one unit. Ideas move from design into development with a lot of factors in mind, including industry trends and emerging technology. The work behind the scenes has also helped us secure recent deals. In the end, the product speaks for itself.
With Zero Day, the original concept came from our conversations, including casual ones. We’re big video game fans, and much of the team was looking forward to Cyberpunk 2077, so the direction felt natural. Once we had settled on the mechanics and visual style, we needed a name. After a team brainstorming session, we chose Zero Day, a term broadly associated with cyberattacks and software vulnerabilities. It fit the artwork and gameplay, which our Studio and Development team brought together.
Q5: A new title is scheduled to launch on the 10th of March. What can you share about its name or theme?
We’re keeping the title under wraps for now. I can say the game will show how much every player and partner means to us: they’re STARS in our eyes.
Q6: What did you hope Mancala Gaming would achieve in 2021?
We expected growth across the board this year: in the team, distribution, and the brand’s overall reach. We had exciting announcements planned for the coming weeks about games and new partners in different jurisdictions. We were also looking to enter regulated markets and hoped to share news soon. New releases and upcoming engagement tools were meant to extend our efforts to push boundaries. Our plans for the year aimed to benefit players and partners alike.
Evan Carrington brings more than 12 years of experience in the iGaming industry, specializing in online casino reviews, slot game analysis, and player safety assessments. Their expertise includes casino licensing, RTP, volatility, bonus terms, and withdrawal policies. Combining hands-on reviews with independent research, Evan provides clear, evidence-based coverage to help players understand gambling platforms, their features, and possible risks.
