For a Spurs fan, it was not a game to remember. The opening day of the 2006–2007 season. Away against Bolton Wanderers, Tottenham conceded two goals: a header from Kevin Davies and a stunning 43-yard strike from Ivan Campo, beating keeper Paul Robinson from well outside the box. Tottenham were decidedly below par.

The result, however, was not the day's main talking point. For the many Spurs fans who had made the 191-mile journey from White Hart Lane to Bolton, the question was this: who is our new shirt sponsor, and who or what exactly is Mansion?

In 2006, a relatively unknown gaming company called Mansion brokered a four-year shirt sponsorship deal, worth more than £34 million, with Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. It would end up being a great season for both Spurs and Mansion. The club would rally, ultimately finishing fifth in the Premier League and securing a consecutive UEFA spot. For Mansion, it was the start of a journey: from post-Match of the Day pub talking point to a widely recognised, award-winning, global gaming brand.

Crashing the Party

Let's be honest: in 2003, Mansion crashed the party. Since 1997, the entrepreneurs, the originators, and the innovators had created the brave new world of online gambling — an insanely lucrative business, awash with invention and money. Mansion lumbered into the room. Backed by Indonesian billionaire businessman Putera Sampoerna, the new kid on the betting block had pockets deeper than the Mariana Trench.

Mansion initially launched two brands: MansionCasino and MansionPoker. In 2005, in partnership with Fox Sports News, it produced the Emmy Award-winning Poker Dome Challenge. It was great television but — despite spending a fortune on marketing — MansionPoker never took off. Mansion may have held the financial aces but it got busted out by more experienced players.

Next stop: soccer. This time, Mansion got it right. Its Asian investors were happy to strike the necessary deals to gain a foothold in the betting business. They also had their sights set on penetrating the Asian market — a high-end Premier League club would unlock those doors.

Peak Condition
200%Profit growth since 2016
2×Turnover doubled
£34M+Spurs shirt deal value

Sixteen years later and the Mansion Group is in peak condition. It's buff. It's trim. It's hench. The solid financial foundations, combined with a committed, canny, and cautious management team, have seen turnover double, with profits up 200% since 2016. A remarkable result in the current marketplace. It's also had to seek planning permission for an extension to the trophy cabinet.

Compliance as Competitive Advantage

Caution has been key to Mansion's resilience and resurgence. In the past two years, the Gambling Commission has taken a sledgehammer to any online casino foolhardy enough to play fast and loose with customer safeguarding. As recently as November 2018, three online casinos were hit with fines of £14 million for failing to protect vulnerable gamblers. William Hill, Ladbrokes, Paddy Power, Sky Bet, and 888 have all faced hefty fines.

Notably absent: the Mansion Group. In 2018, Risk and Compliance Director Ali Hawa picked up the CFI Award for Most Responsible Online Operator.

"To have received this honour is a great recognition of the hard work of our dedicated teams. You could argue that compliance is one of the less exciting aspects of the business but it is critical to our ongoing success. If we treat our customers fairly and with respect, they will return and continue to gamble with us. That's sound business."

Ali Hawa — Risk and Compliance Director, Mansion
Rebranding and Reinvention

Also updating her resume with a clutch of new awards is Mansion Managing Director and COO Shelly Suter-Hadad — winner of the 2018 iGaming Leader of the Year award — who has spearheaded the recent rebrand of Casino.com and the launch of MansionBet.

"To get this award is a fantastic acknowledgement of the hard work that our teams have put in, and the strides forward that we have taken. We have to strike a balance between responsibility and playability. Casino.com was long overdue for an update. We pulled out all the stops to deliver a thrilling online gaming experience that will both wow our customers and satisfy the regulators."

Shelly Suter-Hadad — Managing Director, Mansion

Politicised, controversial, regulated — the online gambling business has been ducking and weaving its way through bylaws and bureaucracy for more than two decades. As its competitors have fallen foul of intensified scrutiny, Mansion continues to invest in best-in-class compliance tools.

Like Forrest Gump's shrimping boat, Mansion has sailed its way through a storm of regulation and come out on top. The business has taken the classic maxim that 'with success comes responsibility' and flipped it. The truth is, for Mansion, with responsibility has come success.