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Gaming industry heavyweights team up to launch $250m gold-standard SPAC

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The SPAC market may be flavor of the month on Wall St, but few can boast the credentials of Tekkorp Digital Acquisition Corp (TDAC). Bringing together first-class industry expertise, TDAC announced its $250m initial public offering on the Nasdaq and is now ready to accelerate the future and develop its mission to unlock the potential of fast-growing digital sports, media, entertainment and gaming companies by bringing speed and certainty to the process of becoming public.

Leading the blank check company’s $1bn-plus acquisition plans are Matt Davey, CEO, and Robin Chhabra, President, backed up by a board of directors which features a who’s who of digital and gaming industry titans, including former Caesars’ CEO Tony Rodio, Sean Ryan from Facebook, and Atlantic City veteran Morris Bailey.

This management team combines for an unrivalled track record of building, investing, nurturing, acquiring and leading digital companies in the public markets across an ever-evolving media, sports, entertainment, leisure and gaming landscape. It intends to start an aggressive acquisition drive to identify this sector’s most innovative and exciting companies whose transformation into public entities will foster metamorphic growth impact.

Matt Davey is an experienced public company executive officer, who has overseen more than ten mergers and acquisitions and over $1.2 billion in debt and equity capital raised to support the companies he has led. Most recently, he was CEO of SG Digital, the digital division of Scientific Games Corp. following a $631m purchase in 2018 by Scientific Games of NYX Gaming Group Ltd, where Davey also previously served as CEO.

For his part, Chhabra has been front and center of many of the biggest M&A deals in the digital gaming marketplace over the past decade, namely when at The Stars Group and William Hill, as well as launching FOX Bet, a landmark media-betting partnership with FOX Sports, as CEO.

Leveraging deep experience and expertise, alongside an extensive network of long-standing relationships, TDAC is uniquely positioned to strategically identify, evaluate and grow target businesses.

The leadership team’s members have been involved in a substantial number of the digital media, sports, entertainment, leisure and gaming industries’ most significant merger and acquisition transactions, invariably creating and realizing significant shareholder value amid the complexity and risk of M&A consolidation.

By corralling and maximizing the potential of its target(s), this emerging force plans to capitalize on the convergence of sports, media and gaming and the rapid growth and regulation of these sectors powered by the inexorable and catalytic trend towards the digitization of entertainment.

Matt Davey, Chief Executive Officer, said: “An acquisition by a blank check company with a management team that is well-known to, and respected by, technology company founders, their current third-party investors, their management teams and the public markets, we believe, can provide a more transparent and efficient mechanism to bring a private technology company to the public markets.”

“We intend to focus our target-sourcing efforts on assessing companies that we believe would benefit significantly from being publicly-traded.”

Robin Chhabra, President, added: “We look forward to providing attractive investment opportunities to our shareholders which capitalize on trends that fundamentally reshape the way we consume sports, media, gaming and entertainment.”

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Thunderkick commits to growth in Ontario with Betty partnership

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Independent slots studio Thunderkick has agreed a deal with Ontario-based operator Betty to supply the rapidly growing online casino with a diverse collection of globally popular titles.

Betty, an official partner of sporting franchises Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors, has risen to prominence since its 2022 establishment, when it was built following the consultation of 300 casino players to create the optimal iGaming environment.

Distinguishing itself from North American competitors by catering specifically to slot enthusiasts rather than sports bettors, the operator has curated a portfolio of 2,800 games, hand-picked to deliver customers maximum entertainment value.

Thunderkick’s content is the latest to be integrated into Betty’s online casino, and the agreement will see a selection of its most popular titles, including The Wildos 2, Midas Golden Touch 3, and Esqueleto Explosivo 3, made available to a greater number of Ontarian players.

Thunderkick marked its debut in the Canadian province in Q2 of 2024, and has since partnered with a network of leading operators to improve its market position. The collaboration with Betty will further amplify its visibility in a key jurisdiction as the provider looks to reinforce its reputation as a global slot developer.

Svante Sahlström, CCO at Thunderkick, said: “It’s our mission at Thunderkick to go deeper, not wider, in 2025. That means forging meaningful, lasting relationships in target markets as opposed to securing as many commercial deals as possible.

“Since entering Ontario over 12 months ago, we have worked tirelessly to enhance our presence in the province, and working with leading brands such as Betty allows us to bring our unique games to a deeper pool of Canadian players.”

Paraskeva Smirnova, Casino Operations Manager at Betty, added: “Betty’s USP has always been our drive to build a slot portfolio with the very best titles from the industry’s most creative suppliers.

“Thunderkick’s passion for slot development is there for all to see, and the introduction of its games to our casino further elevates the consumer experience.”

The post Thunderkick commits to growth in Ontario with Betty partnership appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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Save the Date: BCLC’s New Horizons in Safer Gambling Conference Returns November 2026

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BCLC is pleased to announce the return of the New Horizons in Safer Gambling Conference, taking place November 2–4, 2026, at the JW Marriott Parq Vancouver.

This global event brings leading voices in research, policy and industry together to explore innovative approaches to safer gambling. Attendees can expect two days of forward-thinking dialogue, evidence-based insights and collaborative solutions to help shape the future of player health.

Sponsorship Opportunities Now Available

New to the 2026 conference, BCLC is excited to offer sponsorship opportunities to organizations that share BCLC’s passion for safer gambling. Benefits of sponsoring New Horizons 2026 include industry visibility, leadership recognition and meaningful engagement with a global audience. To learn more about sponsorship, please e-mail [email protected].

Registration and program details will be released later this fall.

The post Save the Date: BCLC’s New Horizons in Safer Gambling Conference Returns November 2026 appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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absolutebet Secures AGCO Registration as an Internet Gaming Operator in Ontario

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Internet Gaming Operator by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO).

This significant milestone authorizes absolutebet to offer regulated iGaming services in Ontario’s legal market under the oversight of AGCO and iGaming Ontario (iGO).

The registration marks a key step in absolutebet’s mission to bring a trusted, responsible, and innovative online casino experience to Ontario players. absolutebet is committed to operating with integrity and transparency, meeting all provincial standards for player protection, responsible gambling, anti-money laundering, and game integrity.

Securing AGCO registration is more than a milestoneit’s the start of absolutebet’s journey in one of the most exciting regulated markets in the world,” said Chen Truman, Founder of absolutebet. “We are building a brand that will grow with the Ontario community and set the stage for future expansion.”

On the regulatory milestone, Krisztina Kalla, Legal & Regulatory Compliance Advisor of absolutebet, commented: “I’m incredibly proud to see all the hard work behind this license pay off. Securing AGCO registration has taken months of preparation and close collaboration with regulators and partners. I am very happy to see the result of that work, and even more excited as we move into the launch phase and open up the absolutebet community to Ontario players in a fun and responsible way.”

Ontario is recognized as one of the most competitive and fast-growing regulated iGaming markets in North America. With AGCO registration secured, absolutebet will move forward with the final stages of its iGO onboarding process in preparation for launch.

 

The post absolutebet Secures AGCO Registration as an Internet Gaming Operator in Ontario appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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