OKTO has announced the full acquisition of Aplauz CH GmbH, the Swiss subsidiary of Aplauz Financial Services Ltd. This strategic acquisition strengthens OKTO’s presence in the Swiss market, enabling the company to expand its customer base and introduce innovative payment services in the market while maintaining and enhancing the existing infrastructure of Aplauz CH GmbH in the region.

Under OKTO’s ownership, Aplauz CH GmbH will continue to deliver its Aplauz prepaid payment service through online merchants and retail distribution partners, now rebranded as OKTO.VOUCHER. The transition will be seamless, ensuring uninterrupted service for all partners and consumers.

Aligned with its growth strategy, OKTO also introduces OKTO.CASH to the Swiss market—a fast, direct cash-to-online payment solution already established across multiple European markets, including Romania, Greece, Czech Republic, Germany, Cyprus, Italy and Serbia.

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Aplauz CH GmbH, now under OKTO’s leadership, holds the necessary regulatory approvals from the Self-Regulatory Organization (SRO) VQF to offer both OKTO.VOUCHER and OKTO.CASH services in Switzerland.

Thanos Mondanos, OKTO’s Head of Business Strategy, said: “Welcoming Aplauz CH GmbH into the OKTO Group marks a significant step forward in our international growth strategy. This acquisition reinforces our commitment to expanding in high-potential markets like Switzerland, allowing us to deliver a stronger portfolio of payment solutions that meet evolving customer demands. We are confident that Aplauz CH GmbH’s established presence, combined with OKTO’s innovative payment technologies, will create substantial value for both users and partners in the region.”

Mathias Wratschko, Senior Distribution Manager at OKTO, said: “This is a pivotal moment for OKTO, our Swiss partners and users. Through the acquisition of Aplauz CH GmbH, we’re set to elevate both transaction volumes and customer experience in Switzerland. By expanding the rebranded OKTO.VOUCHER service and launching OKTO.CASH, we’re enhancing Swiss payment options in a way that promises substantial revenue growth for our partners and increased satisfaction for consumers.”

Goran Abramović, Director of Aplauz Financial Services Ltd., said: “We are thrilled with the successful sale of our Swiss consumer business and have every confidence in OKTO’s capacity to drive further growth in this segment within the Swiss market. Aplauz Financial Services remains fully committed to supporting the Swiss market by continuing to provide our cutting-edge voucher issuing technology platform to OKTO and offering ongoing technical support to our valued partners. We look forward to seeing the positive impact OKTO will bring to this evolving market.”

La Française des Jeux (FDJ) announces the success of its tender offer for Kindred Group plc, a leading player in the online betting and gaming sector in Europe.

At the end of the offer period ending on 2 October, 195,659,291 Kindred Swedish Depository Receipts (SDRs), representing 90.66% of the Group’s capital, were tendered. FDJ had also acquired 2,400,000 Kindred SDRs directly from Veralda, representing 1.11% of the Group’s share capital.

With the condition precedent of controlling more than 90% of Kindred’s share capital¹ fulfilled, FDJ decided to complete the acquisition of Kindred Group plc. Settlement-delivery for Kindred shareholders who have tendered their SDRs to the offer will take place from 11 October and FDJ will implement a squeeze-out procedure on Nasdaq Stockholm.

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In addition, FDJ announces that it is extending its offer until 18 October 2024 at 5 p.m. CEST to enable Kindred shareholders who have not tendered their shares to do so on unchanged terms, i.e. SEK 130 per SDR. Settlement and delivery will take place from 29 October.

Kindred is one of the top five online betting and gaming players in Western Europe, present in seven of the top ten European markets, chief among them the Netherlands, the UK, France, Sweden and Belgium. It offers a comprehensive online offering (sports and horse betting, poker and casino), operating brands such as Unibet and 32Red.

This transaction of nearly €2.5 billion creates a European champion with a diversified and balanced profile, based on monopoly activities, primarily lotteries, in France and Ireland, and on online sports betting and gaming activities open to competition in Europe.

The new combined group resulting from this offer will generate around 26% of its revenue internationally, and its online gaming range open to competition will account for around 27% of its business.

Stéphane Pallez, Chairwoman and CEO of the FDJ Group, said: “I am delighted to announce today the acquisition of Kindred, a leading European player in the competitive online betting and gaming sector. Kindred has strong brands, recognised technological excellence and an attractive growth and profitability profile, all of which will bolster FDJ’s strengths. The two groups also share high standards for responsible gaming and a business model that combines performance and responsibility. This acquisition creates a new European champion that intends to pursue its strategy of sustainable and profitable growth for the benefit of all its stakeholders.”

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DAZN, the world’s leading sports entertainment platform, has secured the exclusive broadcast rights for the new Super League Basketball (SLB), with all games to be aired for free to audiences worldwide. With the season beginning on Friday 27 September, the agreement grants DAZN comprehensive rights to broadcast the men’s competition globally, including to the domestic UK audience.

DAZN will create a dedicated on-platform environment for Super League Basketball which will house live and on demand content from across the competition. Fans will be able to enjoy action from the league, all of which will be available at no cost.

The deal comes at a pivotal moment in British basketball history, as Super League Basketball recently announced the unification of the elite men’s and women’s leagues under one brand. This unification aims to increase the visibility of basketball in the UK and to worldwide fanbases.

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DAZN’s unparalleled scale and significant basketball audience is uniquely poised to supercharge the growth of SLB. This strategic partnership marks an opportunity for British basketball with the commitment of DAZN, as the exclusive broadcaster, to work collaboratively to find innovative and personalised ways of creating content, engaging fans and reaching new audiences.

Shay Segev, CEO of DAZN Group, said: “We want to use our reach and industry-leading technology to bring these competitions to existing and new audiences, fostering a truly fan-centric global community. Super League Basketball is at a turning point in its history and is a property with exceptional potential for commercial growth – we are delighted to add it to our growing international portfolio of basketball and to join them in building an exciting future. DAZN is rapidly becoming the global Home of Basketball and SLB will form an important part of this.”

Through its agreement with FIBA, which includes Courtside 1891, DAZN also streams live FIBA matches, including FIBA World Cups, as well as all FIBA Continental Cup competitions and U19/U17 World Cups. Users can also watch live and on-demand regional club competitions, such as the Basketball Champions League, the Intercontinental Cup, the EuroLeague Women and the East Asia Super League, as well as national leagues such as, the NBL, the Japanese B. League and others.

Vaughn Millette, interim Chair of Super League Basketball, said: “We are delighted to partner with DAZN for our global broadcast media rights. From our earliest conversations, we’ve been impressed by DAZN’s unwavering passion to promote and grow the sport of basketball. Bringing innovation and imagination to enable us to best serve our fans, the teams and continuous broadcast coverage of the league.

“Over the last few years, DAZN has demonstrated its commitment to growing the sport by securing numerous international basketball rights. SLB’s addition to this line-up, means that fans will find a broadcast home for basketball on DAZN. Super League fans will be able to watch every game live and free to air as we take our place alongside the likes of France and Italy’s elite national basketball leagues. We can’t wait to get started.”

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Through the dedicated Super League Basketball environment on DAZN, content from across the English competitions will be positioned alongside DAZN’s other free offerings, marketed to both its main subscriber base and basketball enthusiasts globally. With a user interface initially available in English, the service will expand to up to seven languages, including Spanish, Italian, German, Japanese and Portuguese in select markets.