Launches and sign-ups 25 May 2016
Launches and sign-ups from the egaming industry in the last seven days (19 May 2016 to 25 May 2016)
Playtech acquires Quickspin for up to ?38m
London-listed supplier says bolt-on acquisition will boost Nordic market penetration
Playtech has acquired Swedish games studio Quickspin for a “maximum consideration” of ?50m (?38.3m), the firm announced yesterday.
An initial payment of ?24m (?18.4m) for 100% of Quickspin shares will be made up front, with the remaining ?26m (?19.9m) payable depending on Quickspin’s EBITDA in 2017 and 2018.
Slots provider Quickspin generated revenue of ?6m (?4.6m) and adjusted EBITDA of ?2.1m (?1.6m) in the financial year ending 31 December 2015 and provides games to over 40 customers including Paddy Power, BetVictor, Mr Green and Betsson.
“Quickspin is a fast-growing and leading supplier of the highest quality games to the highest quality operators, strengthening Playtech’s position as the leading platform and content provider in the industry,” Mor Weizer, Playtech CEO, said.
Betfred seals 10-year platform deal with GVC
Betfred has struck a long-term platform deal with GVC Holdings which will see the UK bookmaker migrate its online sportsbook and gaming business to the GVC platform.
The 10-year deal, which was announced Monday, will also give Betfred access to GVC’s back-end data tools, enabling the operator to segment players and personalise its offer.
Betfred CEO John Haddock said it decided to swap its current GTECH-provided platform for GVC’s proprietary bwin technology following an “extensive review” of its online business.
Seven days in launches and sign-ups:
Betsson launches industry-first Apple TV gambling app
Betsson has become the first operator to launch a gambling app specifically for Apple TV, which it believes will “set the standard” for the egaming industry.
The operator’s Betsafe brand launched the Live Dealer Roulette app yesterday (19 May), initially in Sweden but with additional markets to follow.
Ulrik Bengtsson, CEO of Betsson AB, said the launch of the product will “most likely set the standard for the entire gaming industry [going] forward”.
BetStars to launch in Italy and France ahead of Euros
Amaya has announced plans to launch its BetStars brand in France and Italy ahead of the European Championships, along with major product improvements.
Speaking during the firm’s Q1 earnings call, Amaya interim CEO Rafi Ashkenazi said the sportsbook debut in Italy was “imminent”, while a launch in France was expected before the 10 June kick off date.
“We are currently working with ARJEL and we are really hoping the process will be finalised by the Euros but it’s not really up to us,” said Ashkenazi. “It’s an ongoing process.”
FanDuel to make its UK launch in August
FanDuel is planning to launch its UK product in early August in time for start of the new Premier League season, eGaming Review has learned.
The product will be football-only, having been built from the “ground up” specifically for a UK audience, according to the firm’s director of international marketing Karol Corcoran.
“We’re taking a different approach [to DraftKings],” said Corcoran. “The task we set ourselves was to build a new product that’s authentic for UK customers and that resonates with the UK market. We’re building that product up from scratch in our Edinburgh office.”
BetIt Group seals GIG platform switch
BetIt Group is preparing to migrate its brands onto Gaming Innovation Group’s (GIG) iGaming Cloud (iGC) platform after the two firms announced the completion of a deal.
The agreement, which is expected to see an annual contribution to the iGC platform of more than ?1m, will see BetIt’s SuperLenny.com, Kaboo.com and Thrills.com brands switch from current platform provider EveryMatrix to GIG by October.
BetIt said the iGC platform’s “real-time data capabilities and engaging mechanisms” were a good fit for its trio of brands which differentiate themselves through modern interfaces and gamification techniques.
NYX Gaming finalises ?270m OpenBet acquisition
NYX Gaming Group completed its ?270m acquisition of sportsbook supplier OpenBet this week as part of a co-funded deal backed by William Hill and Sky Betting & Gaming (SB&G).
As part of the deal, which was first announced on 4 April, NYX Gaming has acquired 100% of OpenBet shares managed by the London-headquartered supplier’s previous owner Vitruvian Partners.
William Hill and SB&G also made a combined equity investment of ?100m – ?80m and ?20m respectively – into NYX to partially fund the transaction.