Industry News
NetEnt intends to accelerate payment of earn-out consideration for Red Tiger through a directed issue of new shares
NetEnt continues to increase productivity and strengthen its competitiveness, and the integration of Red Tiger is an important part of this process. To support and speed up the integration, NetEnt intends to accelerate the payment of the earn-out consideration for Red Tiger through a directed issue of B-shares to the sellers of Red Tiger.
NetEnt acquired Red Tiger in September 2019. In conjunction with the acquisition, it was announced that an additional consideration amounting to maximum GBP 23 million could become payable in 2022 on an earn-out basis, subject to Red Tiger’s financial performance over the coming two years. Since the acquisition, Red Tiger’s financial performance has exceeded the company’s forecasts by a wide margin. By facilitating a full integration, the potential to extract synergies increases for NetEnt, both in terms of revenues and costs. One example of revenue synergies already having a positive effect is the first jointly developed game, Piggy Riches, which was released in January 2020 and which so far has been the best game release ever for Red Tiger.
In order to support the integration of the companies, NetEnt has today agreed with the sellers of Red Tiger on an addendum to the share purchase agreement (SPA). This means that the conditions for payment of the earn-out consideration are deemed to have been met. Half of the earn-out consideration is to be paid through a directed issue of new B-shares in the second quarter of 2020, and the rest as cash in the second quarter of 2021.
The addendum to the SPA is subject to approval of a directed issue of 6,327,175 B-shares to the sellers of Red Tiger by the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the shareholders of NetEnt, scheduled for April 29, 2020. The new shares will be issued at a price of 21.34 SEK per share, which corresponds to the volume-weighted average price of NetEnt’s B-shares on Nasdaq Stockholm during the period of February 24 – March 20, 2020.
Based on the addendum, the Board of Directors of NetEnt is proposing to the AGM on April 29, 2020, to resolve on a directed share issue in accordance with the conditions set out above. The summons to the AGM will be sent out separately today, including the detailed decision about the directed new share issue by the Board of Directors.
As a result of the proposed new share issue, the share capital of NetEnt will increase by approximately 31,762 SEK to 1,237,219 SEK. The total number of shares outstanding after the share issue will amount to 245,458,035, split between 33,660,000 A-shares and 211, 798,035 B-shares. These numbers are adjusted for previously repurchased shares amounting to 1,000,000 B-shares. Consequently, the share issue leads to a dilution of 2.6 percent of total shares and 1.2 percent of total votes of the company on a fully-diluted basis (i.e. based on the total number of shares and votes outstanding after the share issue).
The sellers of Red Tiger commit not to sell the newly issued shares during a lock-up period until March 2022. One of the sellers is Gavin Hamilton, CEO of Red Tiger and newly appointed Chief Operating Officer of NetEnt.
Industry News
SKS365 keeps investing in people: GROW People Management Program took the next level
11 experienced people managers from the SKS365 group’s 4 locations gathered last week in Belgrade for the new GROW People Management Program. From 15 th to 19 th of April, through trainings, discussions, and social connections, people had the opportunity to further grow individually and as a team, while enjoying Belgrade’s city center and rivers.
Created in 2023 with the purpose of building foundation people management skills across the organization, GROW initiative evolved this year by including a new, advanced program for experienced people managers to further consolidate their skills and prepare for future opportunities.
Building and fostering connections, sharing experiences, and enjoying team building experiences – all these activities have been part of the GROWpmp agenda for the 11 people managers coming from Commercial, Product and Development, Finance, and Sportsbook departments of the group’s 4 locations – Malta, Italy, Austria, Serbia.
GROWpmp included a variety of topics that people managers in SKS365 recognized as the key areas for management development. Topics such as influence through communication, team effectiveness, DEI, through to presentation skills and business topics like understanding finance and management reporting, were delivered with the support of external professionals and internal experts, while designed and organized by the SKS365 People & Culture team.
Industry News
Kindred’s Share of Revenue from High-risk Players Shows Slight Increase
Kindred Group plc’s (Kindred) share of revenue from high-risk players showed a slight increase to 3.2% (Q4 2023 3.1%) in the first quarter of 2024. Compared to the first quarter of 2023, the high-risk revenue share decreased marginally. The percentage of detected customers who exhibited improved behaviour after interventions came in at 87.1% (compared to 87.4% in Q4 2023 and 83.0% in Q1 2023). This sustained trajectory in the improvement effect after interventions, observed over an extended period, serves as a testament to the strong dedication and collective efforts throughout the company. It reflects Kindred’s ongoing commitment to fostering positive change within the industry.
“We continue to see our share of revenue from high-risk players fluctuate quarter to quarter, and we are working closely with all teams across the company to support customers towards a more sustainable gambling experience. However, it is encouraging to see that our Journey towards Zero data has steadily decreased since 2020. A similar trend can be seen across the healthier gambling behaviour effect after interventions. This tells us two things: our work is paying off, but we need to continue to push ourselves to propel a sustainable progression,” Alexander Westrell, Director of Communications at Kindred Group, said.
“It was very encouraging to witness the open and transparent discussions at the Sustainable Gambling Conference in London on 20 March, where those with lived experience shared their important stories. Also, it is evident that technology is moving forward, and will provide greater opportunities to detect and intervene in the future. We hope to see more regulators engage with the industry and with experts to secure a more sustainable industry for everyone,” Alexander Westrell added.
Industry News
PENN Entertainment Names Aaron LaBerge as Chief Technology Officer
PENN Entertainment announced that Aaron LaBerge has been named Chief Technology Officer (CTO) effective July 1, 2024, subject to customary regulatory approvals. Mr. LaBerge will report directly to PENN CEO & President Jay Snowden.
In his new role, Mr. LaBerge will be responsible for driving the technology strategy and execution for PENN, while leading the multinational team of technologists and serving as the key business leader for the company’s Interactive division.
Mr. LaBerge spent more than 20 years at The Walt Disney Company, in two stints separated by five and a half years as a technology entrepreneur. He was most recently President & Chief Technology Officer for Disney Entertainment and ESPN where he was responsible for driving all technology and product development in support of The Walt Disney Company’s two media divisions. In that role, he helped set the vision and strategic leadership for how Disney uses technology to enable storytelling and innovation, drive its business, and create unparalleled consumer experiences with entertainment and sports content.
“We are thrilled to have someone of Aaron’s caliber join our PENN executive team. Having overseen a global organization of thousands of engineers, product developers, designers, technologists, and data scientists that created some of the largest scale and most successful media properties in the world, there is no better candidate to lead our Technology and Interactive division into its future. I know Aaron is looking forward to working with Todd George, our head of operations, and our entire Executive Team to continue growing our position as a leader in online gaming, sports betting, and digital sports media,” Mr. Snowden said.
“I’m excited to join another talented team at PENN Interactive and lead our technology strategy. PENN Entertainment is at the forefront of the fast-changing gaming and sports media industry. I plan to use my experience from Disney and ESPN to help make ESPN BET an essential piece of the sports fan experience. Together, we’ll push the limits and redefine how fans interact with sports and gaming,” Mr. LaBerge said.
Prior to his most recent role at the Walt Disney Company, Mr. LaBerge was Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at ESPN from 2015 to 2018. At ESPN he played an instrumental role in the growth of ESPN’s consumer-facing digital media products and services – leading many of ESPN’s most ambitious and challenging projects and helping establish ESPN’s position as the leader in digital sports and innovative sports technology development. He was a key architect in the design, development, and engineering of ESPN’s state-of-the-art facilities in Bristol, CT; Los Angeles, CA; Charlotte, NC; and Austin, TX, as well as data centers and infrastructure that connect those facilities around the world, as well as the technology design and development to support the launch of the multi-platform SEC Network.
Between 2007 and 2012, LaBerge was co-founder and CEO of Fanzter, Inc. – a venture-funded consumer software and digital product development company. At Fanzter, he directed all day-to-day operations and led the development and launch of a variety of consumer-focused internet and mobile products, ground-breaking social and commerce technologies and more.
-
Latest News5 days ago
THE UNIT APPOINTS ADAM NOBLE AS CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER
-
Gaming5 days ago
The German Games Industry Association congratulates all winners of the German Computer Game Awards 2024
-
Baltics5 days ago
MARE BALTICUM Gaming & TECH Summit Announces Final Agenda for 2024 Event
-
Africa5 days ago
NE Group powers 888bets launch in Angola
-
Latest News5 days ago
INSPIRED LAUNCHES VIRTUAL SPORTS WITH COMEON GROUP
-
Industry News5 days ago
Wazdan set to gain more ground at Casino Beats Summit Malta
-
Central Europe5 days ago
Apparat Gaming and edict egaming announce partnership
-
Cryptocurrency5 days ago
Payhound empowers LSports with a seamless solution to receive payments