Connect with us
WINNING COMBINATION

Latest News

BETSSON ACQUIRES SPORTS BETTING AND GAMING OPERATOR BETFIRST IN BELGIUM AND ENTERS INTO PARTNERSHIP WITH GROUPE PARTOUCHE TO LAUNCH ONLINE CASINO OFFERING ON THE BELGIAN MARKET

Published

on

BETSSON ACQUIRES SPORTS BETTING AND GAMING OPERATOR BETFIRST IN BELGIUM AND ENTERS INTO PARTNERSHIP WITH GROUPE PARTOUCHE TO LAUNCH ONLINE CASINO OFFERING ON THE BELGIAN MARKET
Reading Time: 3 minutes

 

Betsson AB today announces the Group’s acquisition of the leading Belgian sports betting and gaming operator betFIRST for a total value of EUR 120 million, of which up to EUR 3 million is an earnout payment subject to certain conditions being met, all payable in cash. At the same time, Betsson and Groupe Partouche, the publicly listed leading French casino operator, today announce a new strategic partnership in order to offer online casino services in regulated markets. A first joint online casino offering should be launched in Belgium during 2023, subject to officially obtaining the required licenses. These two strategic initiatives are fully aligned with Betsson’s ambitions to deliver profitable growth, with a preference for growth in locally regulated markets in the long term.

Betsson has agreed to acquire all shares in the betFIRST Group, which operates a sports betting and gaming business under the brand betFIRST in Belgium. The total up-front consideration of the acquisition is EUR 117 million on a cash and debt-free basis, payable in cash. In addition, Betsson may pay up to EUR 3 million as earnout, subject to delivery on certain agreed financial targets. The initial consideration for the acquisition is equivalent to a multiple of 10.0x betFIRST’s estimated EBITDA for the financial year 2023.

Established in 2011, betFIRST is a leading B2C operator in the locally regulated online gaming market in Belgium, offering sports betting and dice games. betFIRST is a leading brand for sports betting in Belgium with a proven track record of successful customer acquisition and revenue growth. betFIRST holds a license for online sports betting and a license for online dice games in Belgium. In addition to the online business, the company also operates across approximately 450 points of sale in Belgium and also owns a gaming arcade. In the last financial year ending 31 December 2022, betFIRST recorded net gaming revenue of EUR 51.2 million and adjusted EBITDA of EUR 10.0 million.

The new partnership with leading French casino operator Groupe Partouche will combine Betsson’s expertise in the online gaming sector and Groupe Partouche’s market leadership in land-based casinos to deliver an attractive online casino offering tailored to the local market. Groupe Partouche operates land-based casinos in France and Switzerland and also holds an offline casino license in Belgium, which can be extended to an online casino license. With such a license, a full range of online casino products can be offered to the Belgian market. Subject to the required licenses being granted by the Belgian regulator, the aim is to launch the online casino offering in Belgium during 2023. Betsson and Groupe Partouche are committed to developing their new collaboration and exploring additional ways to expand the partnership.

The acquisition of betFIRST and the partnership with Groupe Partouche will provide Betsson with critical access to the competitive Belgian market, a further diversified geographical footprint and an increased share of revenue from locally regulated markets. Betsson intends to continue operating the betFIRST sports betting business as it is today while exploring potential synergies in the mid-to-long term.

Pontus Lindwall, CEO and President of Betsson AB, commented: “We are very excited about entering the Belgian market together with our partners Groupe Partouche and see a strong strategic fit with the acquisition of betFIRST. At Betsson, our growth strategy revolves around extending our presence into new markets, particularly in locally regulated or soon-to-be regulated markets. Belgium, where the online gaming market is regulated since 2011, aligns very well with this strategy. Our business model is highly scalable, and these initiatives will add revenue and strengthen our profitability over time.”

Betsson is able to finance the acquisition with existing cash from its balance sheet and within existing credit facilities.

Completion of the acquisition of betFIRST is not conditional on regulatory approvals and is expected to occur on or around July 5, 2023.

Betsson has engaged Lazard as financial advisor and Gernandt & Danielsson as principal legal advisor (together with Van Bael & Bellis and Edson Legal as legal advisors in Belgium) in connection with the acquisition.

Latest News

SPORTRADAR DRIVES BETTING INNOVATION WITH MICRO MARKETS EXPANSION

Published

on

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Sportradar (NASDAQ: SRAD) is set to further transform the betting landscape with the launch of micro markets, the next generation of in-play betting products, across leading sports, opening fresh revenue streams for operators. In a strategic move, Sportradar, in collaboration with Tennis Data Innovations (TDI), is introducing micro markets for ATP tennis matches this October. This exclusive partnership marks yet another step in offering bettors more granular and engaging wagering options in tennis. Sportradar currently offers micro markets across other popular sports including soccer and table tennis.

By leveraging advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and deep tennis data from TDI, Sportradar will offer operators a cutting-edge solution that processes hundreds of thousands of data points per match. The result is eight distinct micro markets expected to generate approximately 1,500 new betting opportunities per match.

Unique to Sportradar, the ATP tennis micro markets include:

  • The next breakpoint
  • Will the next serve be an ace, rally, or double fault
  • Who will serve the next ace
  • All point outcomes (player 1 winner; Player 1 Error, Player 2 Winner; Player 2 Error)
  • Total shots in a point
  • Last stroke type (e.g. serve, return, forehand, backhand, or volley)

Karl Danzer, SVP Odds Services at Sportradar said: “The introduction of micro markets underscores Sportradar’s commitment to leading the industry with advanced proprietary technology to provide clients with unmatched opportunities to engage fans and generate new revenue across hugely popular betting sports like tennis.”

Sportradar is set to further expand micro markets with the addition of American football, baseball, basketball and ice hockey in the first half of 2025.

Micro betting is a form of live wagering that enables operators to offer bets on specific, short-term outcomes within a game or event.

Continue Reading

Latest News

Mindway AI Joins Forces with Amazon Web Services (AWS) as an Official Partner

Published

on

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Mindway Al, a leading provider of Al-driven solutions for responsible gambling announces its official partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS). This strategic collaboration marks a significant milestone for Mindway Al, enabling the company to leverage AWS’s extensive global network of sales professionals, advanced cloud infrastructure, and comprehensive security validation for its flagship products, GameScanner and Gamalyze.

By becoming an official member of the AWS Partner Network (APN), Mindway Al joins a global community of over 130,000 partners across more than 200 countries, with 70% headquartered outside of the United States. This partnership positions Mindway Al to harness AWS’s cutting-edge technologies, specialised programs, and robust tools to drive innovation, solve complex technical challenges, and deliver greater value to customers worldwide.

As an AWS partner, Mindway Al gains access to AWS’s extensive network of sales professionals, enabling the company to expand its market reach and accelerate the adoption of its responsible gambling solutions across diverse global markets.

Both GameScanner and Gamalyze, Mindway Al’s Al-powered tools designed to detect problem gambling behavior and support responsible gaming, have achieved AWS security validation. This ensures that the solutions meet the highest standards of security and compliance, providing peace of mind to customers and stakeholders.

Through the APN, Mindway Al will collaborate with AWS to innovate and enhance its offerings, leveraging AWS’s expertise in cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. This partnership will empower Mindway Al to deliver even more effective and scalable solutions to its customers, driving greater value and profitability.
With AWS’s support, Mindway Al is poised to expand its presence in key markets across the globe beyond its current 61 jurisdictions, reaching new customers and delivering solutions that address the growing demand for responsible gambling technologies.
“We are very excited to partner with AWS and join their prestigious Partner Network,” said Rasmus Kjaergaard, CEO of Mindway Al. “This collaboration will not only strengthen our technological capabilities but also expand our global footprint, enabling us to make a greater impact in promoting responsible gambling on a true global scale. With AWS’s robust infrastructure and expertise, we are confident that our solutions will continue to set the standard in the industry.’
Mindway Al’s partnership with AWS underscores its commitment to innovation, security, and customer success. As the company continues to grow and evolve, this collaboration will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of responsible gambling technologies.

Continue Reading

eSports

PandaScore’s premade esports BetBuilder breaks onto the scene

Published

on

Reading Time: 2 minutes

After a highly successful launch of its dedicated esports BetBuilder, PandaScore’s premade BetBuilder – or Prebuilt markets– is live across its full client base.

PandaScore’s Prebuilt markets give operators the ability to tap into the rich storytelling behaviours that are key to esports engagement, through ready-made BetBuilder wagers in a simpler, sweeter fashion.

Prebuilt markets are available across all three major titles: Counter-Strike, Dota 2 and League of Legends. Additionally, Prebuilt markets will launch with the inclusion of Valorant, and PandaScore’s trailblazing Valorant player props – a hotly sought-after feature as bet volumes on the game continue to grow.

PandaScore’s Prebuilt markets are live with two primary premade options for bettors to choose, both a combination of Match Winner 2-way and player props. On these markets, Antoine Vallespir, PandaScore Product Manager stated “we’re starting with two MVP-focused storylines: a team’s star player popping off and carrying his team to victory, and a star player being shut down, with his team unable to win.”

This combination serves as a key starting point based on extensive user research over the last six months of PandaScore’s BetBuilder product. Esports bettors were combining these two markets to the point where it was almost a compulsory combination.

Along with tailoring Prebuilt markets bets to specific teams and players within teams, operators will be able to create wagers that develop and tell the story of a competition during its lifecycle. Additionally, part of the product’s strength is also that it’s incredibly flexible: PandaScore will be updating and rolling out new combinations based on BetBuilder feedback.

Prebuilt markets are also one of the simplest integrations available to operators. It functions like any other single market: if you know how to integrate a Winner 2-way market, you can integrate our Prebuilt markets.

PandaScore CEO Flavien Guillocheau commented that “tailored, personalised experiences are not the exception, but the expectation in modern entertainment – the same goes for betting. We confirmed the popularity of our BetBuilder, and with it comes freedom of choice but complexity of product. Prebuilt markets allow you to switch from the complex to the simple, to offer operators easy access to a market-leading product and to give all types of esports bettors the most exciting betting opportunities in esports.”

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Alpha Affiliates
Advertisement

EveryMatrix

Advertisement

Launch your iGaming business swiftly and effortlessly with our comprehensive turnkey solutions

Trending (Top 7)

Get it on Google Play

EuropeanGaming.eu is a premier online platform that serves as a leading information hub for the gaming and gambling industry. This industry-centric media outlet reaches over 200,000 readers monthly, providing them with compelling content, the latest news, and deep-dive insights.

Offering comprehensive coverage on all aspects of the gaming sector, EuropeanGaming.eu includes online and land-based gaming, betting, esports, regulatory and compliance updates, and technological advancements. Regular features encompass daily news articles, press releases, exclusive interviews, and insightful event reports.

The platform also hosts industry-relevant virtual meetups and conferences, and provides detailed reports, making it a one-stop resource for anyone seeking information about operators, suppliers, regulators, and professional services in the European gaming market. The portal's primary goal is to keep its extensive reader base updated on the latest happenings, trends, and developments within the gaming and gambling sector, with an emphasis on the European market while also covering pertinent global news. It's an indispensable resource for gaming professionals, operators, and enthusiasts alike.

Contact us: [email protected]

Editorial / PR Submissions: [email protected]

Copyright © 2015 - 2024 - European Gaming is part of HIPTHER. Registered in Romania under Proshirt SRL, Company number: 2134306, EU VAT ID: RO21343605. Office address: Blvd. 1 Decembrie 1918 nr.5, Targu Mures, Romania

We are constantly showing banners about important news regarding events and product launches. Please turn AdBlock off in order to see these areas.