Playtika Holding, a mobile gaming entertainment and technology market leader with a portfolio of top casual titles, announced execution of an agreement for a $25m minority investment in Turkish mobile gaming company Ace Games.

Ace is the developer of Fiona’s Farm, a free-to-play innovative casual mobile game that expertly and uniquely combines the mechanics of Match-3, farming, decoration and narrative-driven games into one immersive mobile gaming experience for players.

Ace was founded in 2020 by its Chief Executive Officer, Hakan Bas, co-founder of Peak Games, the developer of Toy Blast and Toon Blast (sold for $1.8 billion). It is led by an experienced and talented team of industry veterans from companies like Dream Games and Playrix, and the team has a proven track record in the mobile casual gaming space.

“Our investment in Ace Games is an important milestone in the execution of our new games investment strategy as Playtika continues to seek exposure to high-growth potential game IP in cost-effective ways. The talented team at Ace has built a best-in-class and innovative product on the ‘Match-3 and Meta’ game model. Playtika can greatly complement Ace with our LiveOps and Digital Studio capabilities, leveraging our enhanced monetization and game operations leadership in mobile gaming,” Robert Antokol, CEO of Playtika, said.

“Playtika has an unrivaled reputation for delivering superior in-game experiences, scaling mobile games to global dominance in their respective categories. We are excited to be teaming up with Playtika as an investor and partner that will help us continue to grow this title, and possibly others, into leading mobile game franchises,” Hakan Bas, Founder and CEO of Ace, said.

Toto Online received a €400,000 fine from the gambling regulator in the Netherlands over breaches related to advertising to young adults.

The Kansspelautoriteit made the ruling after finding TOTO Online’s advertising between October 1, 2021 and February 1, 2022 included people aged 18-23 in its reach, with gambling companies in the Netherlands prohibited from targeting that age group.

TOTO Online did not breach the advertising rule after February 1, 2022.

René Jansen, chairman of the KSA, said that the law covering vulnerable groups, including young adults, “must be given extra protection.”

“Gaming providers must fully respect the rules intended to protect vulnerable groups,” he added.

The Sands China group has been awarded a new 10-year gaming concession in Macao, as announced by the Macao government Saturday. The concession is awarded on a provisional basis, subject to finalising and entering into a new gaming concession contract with the Macao SAR.

“Our commitment to Macao has never wavered and we are honoured to continue the partnership we began with the government and people of Macao 20 years ago. In the coming decade and beyond, we will remain steadfast in our strategy of continuous investment in Macao – in its economy, its people and its community. Macao’s future as an international tourism destination remains bright and we look forward to furthering our leadership role in helping it reach its full potential,” Robert G. Goldstein, chairman and chief executive officer of Sands China Ltd, said.

“The entire company is elated at the news of our successful bid for a new 10-year gaming concession. We are grateful to each of our 25,000 team members for their tireless support and dedication. Our gratitude also goes to the tender committee for its meticulous and thoughtful consideration of the tender submissions. We will do our utmost to further contribute to Macao’s economic diversification and its continuing development into a world-class international tourism destination,” Dr. Wilfred Wong, president of Sands China Ltd, said.

Sands China’s tender submission in September highlighted the company’s unprecedented level of investment in Macao, particularly in the area of non-gaming tourism amenities and attractions. It also detailed Sands China’s plans to help broaden the appeal of Macao as an international tourist destination.

“Sands China is thankful for the guidance of the Macao SAR government over the past 20 years and looks forward to being part of this next exciting chapter in Macao’s history in the next decade and beyond. We are honoured to have the opportunity to continue contributing to Macao’s integration into the overall development of the nation, investing in non-gaming, and to helping strengthen and promote Macao as the ultimate destination for both leisure and business travellers,” Dr. Wong added.