Introducing iGaming Startups Series: Featuring Vega Gibraltar

Introducing iGaming Startups Series: Interview with Vega Gibraltar

At OnlyiGaming, we’re excited to spotlight the innovative companies redefining the iGaming landscape. Today, we’re diving into the story of Vega Gibraltar, a global media buying and marketing agency that specializes in delivering tailored strategies to drive real business growth for iGaming brands.

In this exclusive interview, we explore Vega Gibraltar’s journey, industry insights, challenges, and future ambitions. Here’s a closer look at how they’re bridging the gap between in-house teams and agencies to give their clients an unfair advantage in the competitive world of iGaming.

What is your company name, and what does it specialize in?
Vega Gibraltar is a global media buying and marketing agency. We specialize in delivering tailored marketing strategies that drive real business growth for our iGaming clients.

Can you describe your mission in a sentence or two?
Vega’s digital marketing and media buying experts are based in the UK, working alongside strategy specialists in Gibraltar to provide our clients with a deep understanding of both local and international markets.

Our Gibraltar-based team ensures your strategy is insight-led and results-driven, with dedicated account managers right on the doorstep of some of the industry’s biggest brands. The UK team executes full-service channels using trusted partners and service providers, each managed by some of the most experienced experts in the industry.

Founding Story

When was your company founded, and by whom?
Vega Gibraltar was founded in early 2024 by Carl Hallam and Steven Taylor. Carl has worked in iGaming for over 10 years and was formerly the Head of Brand at BetVictor. Steven came from the military, having worked in intelligence, strategy, and specialist electronic warfare for over 24 years.

What inspired you to start this company?
Carl had left his job as a CMO, and Steven had retired from the military. Like every good story, it all began in the pub! A discussion on the difference between business strategy and tactics led to a comparison between military and marketing operations—how to enter a market, where to enter, and how to win! Mission failure or mission success, profit and loss.

We put our money where our mouth is, partnered with Vega Comms in Manchester, entered the market in Gibraltar where we both lived, started to win, and brought on Steve Smith—an iGaming specialist for over 15 years who had just left DAZN Bet—as Director of Marketing. And here we are!

Key Innovations or Products

What are your key offerings or products?
We offer full-service marketing and media buying: SEO, paid search, performance marketing, content marketing, OOH, DOOH, traditional and connected TV, print, and digital PR. We also offer consulting and strategy design for CRM, CRO, and acquisition.

What makes your products or services unique in the iGaming industry?
We bridge the gap between agency and in-house. Being located right in the epicenter of Gibraltar’s iGaming community, our services are on the doorstep of our clients. Rather than another Teams call, we’re in your office within minutes.

We pride ourselves in ensuring that the person who manages a client account isn’t an inexperienced Exec—it is an industry leader who understands your business and operating environment inside out.

Challenges and Achievements

What are some challenges you’ve faced as a startup, and how have you overcome them?
Anyone who has started a business will know that the biggest challenge is establishing trust, especially as an agency. So many agencies have burnt their clients before—with copy-and-paste strategies, financial models that only benefit themselves, or worse, businesses sticking with the "devil they know."

We want to break that cycle. Getting that initial door open to address the client problem statement is often a huge challenge, but when we get the chance, it is the most rewarding.

In iGaming, regulation is often seen as a blocker, but we see it as an opportunity. While some shy away, we believe that by properly understanding and interpreting regulations, you can uncover real opportunities for growth. Too many businesses say “no” without realizing what they’re turning down.

What’s been really positive with the clients we’ve worked with is that they’ve allowed us to challenge a little further, dig deeper, find smarter solutions, and prove that their business is in safe hands. Because of that, we’ve been able to unlock significant revenue—not by cutting corners, but by finding the opportunities others overlooked.

What milestones or achievements are you most proud of?
Winning Startup Grind Gibraltar – Startup of the Year 2024 was just incredible. But the absolute best thing is hearing someone say, “Oh, you guys are Vega—we’ve heard of you.” There’s no better feeling than that.

Future Goals

What are your goals for the future?
There’s nothing better than performing well. Our goal is always the same—for each client to say, “Vega absolutely smashed it out of the ballpark!”

Do you have any upcoming launches, partnerships, or plans for growth?
We’ll soon be announcing three tier-one operators as clients—not bad for our first nine months of operating!

Founder’s Perspective

What drives your passion for iGaming?
iGaming is a sector that’s always innovating and evolving with the latest tech—but that constant evolution can sometimes lead to a sea of sameness. Everyone’s chasing the same trends, following the same playbook, and before you know it, what was once innovative becomes just another standard.

Our passion is cutting through that noise. When people say it’s difficult to get coverage for their online casino, we delivered over 500 pieces of coverage last quarter. When costs are rising, we’ve unlocked direct trading deals that save our clients 30%. And when businesses think their paid search is performing just because it’s hitting ROAS targets, we’ve stepped in and reduced CPAs by 30-50% in just two months.

iGaming is an incredible industry, and for those willing to challenge the norm and dig deeper, there are opportunities everywhere just waiting to be unlocked.

Can you share a quote or insight that reflects your company’s vision or values?
We are your unfair advantage. In iGaming, everyone is always looking at how to gain market share. When a client says something won’t work, or they’ve tried it before and it wasn’t profitable—that’s when we really go to work!

Call to Action

How can people learn more about your company or connect with you?
Our newly re-launched website: www.vegagibraltar.com
LinkedIn: Vega Gibraltar
In the UK: www.vegacomms.co.uk
Vega Comms UK LinkedIn: Vega Comms

Is there a website, demo, or contact info you’d like to share?
Email: hello@vegagibraltar.com
Our WhatsApp Distressed Media Inventory: https://vegagibraltar.com/whatsapp