BetGames, a leading provider of content that seamlessly integrates sports betting and casino gaming, has renewed its exclusive partnership with the STS Group, a top-tier operator in Poland. This successful collaboration, which has been extended until 2026, underscores STS’ exclusive rights to offer BetGames’ wide choice of games in its domestic market. This includes the unique STS Polish Poker product, tailor-made exclusively for STS.

BetGames’ offerings constitute a substantial part of STS player engagement, with a portfolio that features high-performing card games like War of Bets, Bet on Baccarat, Bet on Poker, and 6+ Poker, all available to Polish players.

Dr Andreas Koeberl, (pictured above), BetGames’ CEO, expressed his delight at the continuation of this fruitful partnership with STS. Reflecting on the past five years of exclusive collaboration, he expressed optimism about elevating the partnership to new heights in the coming years, attributing their success to STS’ commitment to excellence and quality. “We are delighted to continue the brilliant partnership with STS. As we look back to already 5 successful years as exclusive partners, we are more than happy to boost it to the next level in the coming years. STS’ approach to excellence and quality is a success warranty!” he said.

?ukasz ?wierk, COO at STS, praised BetGames’ products for their consistent performance since their launch. He attributed the players’ loyalty to the innovative and intuitive play styles offered by these games. He expressed his excitement about continuing to provide their players with beloved games, including the unique Polish Poker. Swierk added “BetGames products have been proving themselves ever since we launched them. Players continue to return to them thanks to the innovation and intuitive play styles they offer. We’re thrilled that we can continue to bring our players the games like the absolutely unique Polish Poker that they love.”

Last year in its strategic expansion into Eastern Europe, London-listed Entain acquired STS Holdings. The deal, offered a 35 percent premium on STS’s six-month average share price and included ￡450 million in cash plus a 10 percent stake in the Entain CEE subsidiary.

Stake, a leading brand in the betting and gaming category, has made a strategic acquisition that marks its expansion into the Italian market. The company has acquired 100 percent of Baldo Line s.r.l., a company previously part of the Octavian Group that holds an Italian gaming licence. This acquisition includes Italy-based sports betting and remote gaming operator Idealbet.it.

This acquisition is a significant step in Stake’s global expansion efforts and strengthens its market position. It also underscores the company’s commitment to delivering top-tier entertainment to players. The acquisition follows Stake’s entry into Latin America through the acquisition of Betfair Colombia in November 2023.

Through this acquisition, Stake will introduce a portfolio of innovative gaming options to players in Italy. The combination of Idealbet’s established presence and Italy’s mature, substantial market provides Stake with a robust foundation for growth in the region.

Following the acquisition, Stake will establish a local presence by opening an office in Italy to expand its team of employees. Idealbet will continue to operate under its own brand within the Stake portfolio.

Brais Pena, Chief Strategy Officer at Easygo, the technology powerhouse behind Stake, commented on the acquisition, stating that it aligns with their strategic ambitions to increase their global footprint, particularly in an established region like Italy. Simone Pachera, Chief Executive Officer at Octavian, expressed excitement about collaborating with Stake and ushering in a new experience for their customers, further expanding the market in Italy.

Stake is committed to player safety, keeping gambling fun, safe, and entertaining by providing comprehensive tools and resources aimed at helping customers understand and manage their gambling activities.

The exact financial details of the acquisition, including the purchase price and the value of the acquired assets have not been disclosed.

As the iGaming sector’s M&A activity heats up, we spoke with EveryMatrix’s CEO, Ebbe Groes. His company recently made waves with the all-cash acquisition of FSB Technology, sparking a great deal of industry interest.

In 2024’s first half, global M&As reached an impressive $1.5 trillion, a 22 percent increase from the previous year, according to a London Stock Exchange report. Deals over $10 billion surged by 70 percent, showcasing the scale and ambition of these ventures.

Groes provides an intriguing insight into the strategic tactics driving the sector’s voracious M&A activity. With technological advancements and a growing user base, the iGaming industry is ripe for M&A.

LH: EveryMatrix has recently acquired FSB Technology, which has been described as the company’s “most ambitious acquisition to date”. Could you elaborate on the strategic rationale behind this acquisition and how it aligns with EveryMatrix’s overall M&A strategy?

Ebbe Groes: We identified FSB towards the end of last year and engaged in various negotiations. The core rationale was to take the union of both these companies and produce something even better than each of us has done as standalone businesses.

Being a successful B2B supplier is all about scale, to secure many clients, to build successful technologies once and to sell them many times over. This gives you the profitability you need to keep investing in the product. With FSB added to the group we immediately have better scale, plus market entry into new territories such as the UK & Ireland and to further expand in Africa.

Exciting is an overused word but this really does qualify as just that in our universe. This is a big step up for EveryMatrix. I’m really happy to invite the FSB clientele into the EveryMatrix family and see it as a great opportunity to return to our roots in London where we first started which is very close to where FSB’s office is today.

For me personally it’s exciting to have a chance to put London back on the map for us. In many ways this is the birthplace of online and offline gambling, this is where you have to be and we’re very happy to be back where it all started.

LH: How does the acquisition of FSB Technology strengthen EveryMatrix’s sportsbook platform, OddsMatrix? What unique capabilities does FSB bring to the table?

Ebbe Groes: We look upon this acquisition as a fantastic opportunity to make EveryMatrix even better in many dimensions but especially in sportsbook. FSB has always prioritised sportsbook as the core of its success. They’ve been delivering turnkey sportsbook as their lead product and this is something we can really use.

We’ve had some fantastic turnkey wins and delivered some highly complex turnkey projects in the last few years including Bet-at-home and the Hungarian Lottery so we’ve proven we are a tier-1 provider. By taking our two strengths and adding them together, this will allow us to stand out as the leading B2B supplier with the best turnkey solution when you look at it from a sportsbook perspective.

Another main strength is how strong FSB are in horse racing. They have an in-house trading team who have worked on this product for many years and dedicated clients where horse racing is at the forefront of everything they do.

It’s different from what we’ve known and done but with this product and FSB, alongside their knowhow, technology and client base we stand to greatly benefit and become even stronger than we are today.

LH: Can you share some insights into EveryMatrix’s M&A activity in the past and how it has shaped the company’s current position in the iGaming industry?

Ebbe Groes: We’ve previously acquired two other businesses; LeapBit in May 2022, a retail focused sports technology enabling us to create a fully omni-channel sportsbook offering across retail, online and mobile; and in June 2023 we acquired DeepCI (now PartnerMatrix Intelligence) .

Recently integrated with our affiliate management platform offering PartnerMatrix, PartnerMatrix Intelligence provides customers with unique AI-driven data analysis of any affiliate pages in the world enabling them to take instant, actionable decisions on where best to allocate resources, how best to optimise their campaigns, for example and therefore really drive efficiencies and revenues.

Both these deals have enabled us to grow in both sports and affiliate marketing, strengthening our offering, scaling both business units and adding even more unique firepower to our modular B2B software.

LH: How do you see the future of M&A in the iGaming sector, particularly in the context of industry consolidation?

Ebbe Groes: M&A and consolidation may have slowed down compared to say five years ago, but there is an increasing amount of innovation in this sector and many more startups and disruptors coming through. This is particularly the case in data automation and AI across all areas of iGaming. I can see these being very relevant and hugely beneficial to both operators and suppliers in the years to come.

LH: What is EveryMatrix’s appetite for future M&A activities? Are there specific areas or markets that the company is looking to expand into through acquisitions?

Ebbe Groes: Completing the FSB deal has been a big achievement for us and is our most ambitious acquisition to date, by value, size, and complexity. Our ability to quickly transact and get this over the line so smoothly has been very impressive.

We paid for these deals with our own profits and by reinvesting the funds we’ve generated through our rapid growth to enable us to grow even more in the future. This has been a very successful model. I would never rule anything out, but for now we’re focusing on incorporating key FSB features into our offering, including what has been recognised as one of the strongest horse racing products among sportsbook providers, and to migrate FSB customers to our technology platforms.

These customers will also benefit from our superior modular products including casino, games and aggregation, payments, player account management, managed services and affiliate management and data tracking. Once migrated to OddsMatrix, they will gain access to proven, tier-1 sportsbook and odds feeds products, as well as our technology, development and resource pipeline, decades of industry expertise within our 1,000 employee strong workforce across 13 locations worldwide and a global network of partners.

LH: Lastly, how does EveryMatrix plan to integrate its acquisitions and ensure they contribute to the company’s long-term growth strategy?

Ebbe Groes: We’ve proven this with LeapBit and are close to announcing our first large-scale, fully omni-channel customer, while DeepCI, now PartnerMatrix Intelligence, has been a great success in driving more revenue by onboarding many new customers, and we expect that to grow even more following its integration with PartnerMatrix.

SiGMA News spoke with Ebbe Groes, CEO of EveryMatrix. Groes pursued a PhD at K?benhavns Universitet – University of Copenhagen and spent a year as a visiting scholar in Economics at Harvard University. In 2008, he co-founded EveryMatrix, a Malta-based B2B technology provider for the iGaming industry. Before this, he served as Director and Investor at Shopbox, CEO of BetBrain Ltd in the UK, and CEO of Kapow Technologies.

SiGMA East Europe Summit powered by Soft2Bet, will take place in Budapest from 2-4 September 2024.

Pollard Banknote has announced its strategic acquisition of Clarence J.?Venne (Venne), a leading manufacturer of bingo markers primarily used in the charitable gaming bingo market.?The deal, signed for a purchase price of $12.6 million, is set to close on 31 July 2024.

Pollard Banknote has been active in expanding its portfolio through strategic acquisitions. Apart from the recent acquisition of Clarence J. Venne, specific details about other acquisitions made by Pollard Banknote are not readily available in my current knowledge base. For the most accurate and up-to-date information, it would be best to directly check the official announcements or news from Pollard Banknote. However, it’s worth noting that Pollard Banknote is known for its commitment to expanding its leadership role in the charitable gaming market through both organic growth and acquisitions to strengthen its position in the market.

Venne, a company with a rich history dating back to 1962, was founded by the inventor of the bingo dauber. With a presence in the bingo market for over six decades, Venne’s products have found their way into every bingo market throughout North America and 23 other countries around the world.

Steven Fingold, EVP of Charitable Gaming at Pollard Banknote, expressed his excitement about the acquisition. He believes that the Venne team, with its valuable years of expertise and superior bingo products, will be a great addition to the Pollard Charitable Games Group. The acquisition aligns with Pollard Banknote’s strategic plan to provide an expanded product offering to existing and new customers.

Jeff Fischer, Owner of Venne, echoed similar sentiments. He expressed his happiness about joining Pollard Banknote, one of the leading suppliers in the charitable gaming space. He looks forward to seeing Pollard’s team expand Venne’s business as it continues to provide excellent products and solutions for charitable organizations.

The acquisition is being funded from Pollard Banknote’s existing cash resources and credit facilities. This move not only marks a significant milestone in Pollard Banknote’s growth trajectory but also underscores its commitment to expanding its leadership role in the charitable gaming market.

The acquisition of Clarence J. Venne not only expands Pollard Banknote’s portfolio but also positions it to better serve its customers with quality products. As the industry continues to evolve, such strategic acquisitions will be key to staying competitive and relevant.

SiGMA East Europe Summit powered by Soft2Bet, will take place in Budapest from 2-4 September 2024