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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

2025 ICR Conference

Golden Matrix Group to Participate in the 2025 ICR Conference

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Golden Matrix Group Inc., a developer and licensor of online gaming platforms, systems, and gaming content, today announced that management will participate in the 2025 ICR Conference on January 13-15, 2025 at the Grande Lakes Resort in Orlando, FL.

Zoran Milosevic, Chief Executive Officer of Meridianbet, will participate in a fireside chat with an equity research analyst on Monday, January 13, 2025, at 2:30 PM ET and will also be available for meetings during the conference.

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Paf employees donated €125,000

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The Nordic gaming company Paf decided to give all employees the opportunity to donate €125,000 to various good causes, initiatives and projects. The causes were selected through a nomination and voting process by the employees.

All Paf employees were given the opportunity to nominate their own initiatives that they felt were worthy of Paf’s €125,000 donation. Once the nomination process was complete, employees were asked to vote for the initiatives, and it was the employees’ votes that determined which initiatives received the donation and how much of the sum was allocated to each project.

“It’s really important that everyone who works at Paf feels that our core mission is different and that it’s well worth working for. That’s why we wanted to involve the employees and give everyone a direct opportunity to determine the distribution of the donation,” says Paf’s CEO Christer Fahlstedt.

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Paf’s basic purpose is to generate funds for the benefit of society. The annual profit is used as Paf funds for social, environmental, youth, sports and cultural purposes, among others.

Second year in a row

This is the second year in a row that Paf employees have been able to donate a sum of money to various good causes. Last year employees donated €100,000 and this year the amount was increased to €125,000.

“It was a great way to end last year and a good initiative to repeat this year. The donation is not part of Paf’s usual mission and purpose, but it reflects our overall core purpose in an excellent way,’ says Paf CEO Christer Fahlstedt.

The distribution of €125,000

When the employees gathered in December for the annual Christmas speech, the vote was taken and the result determined how the €125,000 would be distributed. The Employee vote gave causes for Ukraine the biggest donation and €40,000, followed by causes against cancer €25,000 and in third place causes for combating abuse of children €15.000.

1. €40.000 – Causes for Ukraine

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2. €25.000 – Causes against cancer

3. €15.000 – Causes for combating abuse of children

4. €12.000 – Causes for Children

5. €9.000 – Causes for Animals

6. €7.000 – The Swedish Brain Foundation (Hjärnfonden)

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7. €6.000 – Medical aid for Palestine

8. €5.000 – Causes for Women

9. €3.500 – Relief efforts – Spanish weather disaster

10. €2.500 – Jesuit Refugee Services Malta

Most votes – top 3

Causes for Ukraine goes to the following initiatives;

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  • Power Up Ukraine, Swedish based, helps with energy solutions

  • Blågula Bilen, Swedish based, donates trucks & 4×4 vehicles with supplies

  • Hospitallers, based in Ukraine, Hospitallers is a volunteer organization of paramedics.

  • Come Back Alive, Ukraine, Demining in Ukraine

  • Safe & Smart, Ukraine based, Restoring hybrid and offline learning in Ukrainian schools

Causes against cancer goes to;

  • Barncancerfonden, Sweden, They help families and contribute to paediatric cancer research with the aim of eradicating childhood cancer

  • Kingitud Elu, Estonia, Estonian Association of Parents of Children with Cancer

  • Rintasyöpäyhdistys, Finland, Europa Donna Finland ry works to increase awareness of breast cancer and improve the quality of life for patients during and after the treatment period

  • Project Liv, Finland, support children with cancer and their families

Causes for combating abuse of children goes to;

  • Internet Watch Foundation, UK, stop child sexual abuse online

  • Anti-Human Trafficking Intelligence Initiative, USA based, end human trafficking and child exploitation

  • Missing Children Europe, protects children from going missing

  • ECPAT, based in Thailand, ensures children live a childhood free from sexual abuse and exploitation

  • La Strada International, Europe, works against human trafficking

  • Prajwala, India, works to end sex trafficking & sex crime

  • Maiti Nepal, Nepal, works for a society free from trafficking of children & women

The nomination and voting process was not open to organisations or initiatives that were already beneficiaries of Paf funds. Since 1966, Paf has distributed more than €447 million in Paf funds. In the spring of 2024, Paf was able to distribute €31.4 million for the benefit of society.

The post Paf employees donated €125,000 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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1spin4win Unveils Classic Christmas Hold and Win to Honor Yearly Tradition

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Online slots provider 1spin4win comes out with Classic Christmas Hold and Win, a 3×3 retro fruit experience reminiscent of land-based slot machines. The nostalgia-filled holiday-themed slot releases December 19.

Classic Christmas Hold and Win invites players to experience an authentic holiday feel bolstered by nostalgic retro fruit symbols, flaming sevens, and jolly golden bells. The game’s most helpful symbol is a gift-wrapped Wild box, which lies along with other symbols on the festive reels that light up like a Christmas tree when a win occurs.

The title gives out exciting double payouts when all 9 reel cells are filled with one and the same fruit symbol and has an x1,000 Mega Jackpot and x100 Minipot on offer in the player-popular Bonus round mode.

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27 paylines ensure enough gameplay variety, while the x1,500 max win will be attractive to a vast player pool. The slot’s 97.10% RTP is a safe bet for casinos that guarantees players will enjoy the balance and return for more.

“A week earlier, we released Christmas Gems Hold and Win, a more modern-looking festive slot with contemporary gem symbols and well-polished HD visuals audiences are now accustomed to,” shares Olga Bogdanova, Art Director at 1spin4win. This week, Classic Christmas Hold and Win debuts an old-fashioned slot with the goal of taking players on a journey back in time to the well-known security of device-free celebrations and land-based gambling. By switching up our art style and adding different lighting, we offer players a chance to cozy up and take a break from the fast-paced world we live in.”

Coming up with season-themed slots during holidays is a tradition that started at 1spin4win with Lucky Xmas 20 in early 2022. Later that year, Lucky Eve 100 and Lucky Christmas 243 delivered bundles of joy to players. In 2023, the online casino provider released Northern Gold Rush, Lucky Snowlight, and Fruity Christmas, focusing on Christmas themes throughout the month. This year is a little different: Cash’n Fruits Fortune 100 spruced up the December game list to give operators an opportunity to feature a new non-Christmas-themed game along with Christmas Gems Hold and Win and Classic Christmas Hold and Win.

The slot studio prioritizes releases tied to seasonal celebrations because they have proven to attract new players, re-engage existing ones, and increase player sessions overall, which is what every operator strives for. 

Explore all holiday-themed slots from 1spin4win in their portfolio.

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