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Sportradar Announces Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and TCV as New Strategic Partners
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Sportradar, the global leader in analysing and leveraging the power of sports data, announced two new strategic partners: Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) and Silicon Valley-based growth equity firm TCV.
CPPIB, through its wholly owned subsidiary, CPP Investment Board Europe S.à r.l., and TCV will together acquire a stake in Sportradar at an enterprise value of EUR 2.1Bn (~USD 2.4Bn.) from private equity firm EQT and certain minority shareholders. Carsten Koerl, Founder and CEO, will retain his entire ownership position in Sportradar and will continue to drive its future development and growth. EQT will also reinvest a portion of its sale proceeds into Sportradar. Additional existing shareholders include Revolution Growth, Ted Leonsis, Michael Jordan, and Mark Cuban.
“CPPIB and TCV are both known for extensive global tech experience and a track record for working alongside innovative management teams to help achieve their long-term vision,” said Carsten Koerl, CEO of Sportradar. “Having two new investors with a strong North American footprint is ideal given our increasing focus and expanding operations in the U.S., as the sports industry evolves to meet the expectations of today’s sports fans. Sportradar will continue to develop best-in-class, integrity and technology- driven services as we expand into new market segments, and we’re excited to have such a strong team behind us.”
Sportradar is the nexus between sports and entertainment, serving leagues, news media, consumer platforms and sports betting operators with deep insights and a suite of strategic solutions to help grow their businesses. Sportradar is the trusted partner of more than 1,000 companies in over 80 countries and serves as the official partner of the NBA, NFL, NHL and NASCAR as well as FIFA and UEFA. It is also the only provider entrusted to work with the US sports leagues in an official capacity to distribute sports data (NBA and NHL) and AV content (MLB) around the world for betting purposes. With deep industry relationships, Sportradar is not just redefining the experience of being a sports fan; it also safeguards fairness in the sports themselves through its Integrity Services team. By monitoring abnormal betting patterns or social signals around matches, Sportradar’s Integrity Services division has escalated insights to authorities that have resulted in hundreds of sporting sanctions globally.
“The sports data market, particularly real-time data, is a compelling long-term investment opportunity, with strong growth driven by rising fan engagement, opening of new markets and increasing spend on digital sports content globally,” said Ryan Selwood, Managing Director, Head of Direct Private Equity, CPPIB. “We are excited to partner with Carsten and look forward to supporting his innovative vision for Sportradar by further investing into artificial intelligence and global expansion.”
“Sportradar is a world-class sports data business that has maintained an impressive track record of delivering best-in-class technology solutions with a customer-centric approach,” said John Doran, General Partner at TCV. “We look forward to working with Carsten and the team to take advantage of the developing U.S. market and drive the evolution of how sports content will be consumed in the future.”
“Through this investment, CPPIB is able to participate in a compelling global technology growth story alongside our new partners, including Carsten and TCV,” said Alain Carrier, Senior Managing Director and
Head of International, CPPIB. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Sportradar’s management team as they drive the company forward across new customer segments and geographies.”
“We love backing great CEOs with a big vision, and Sportradar fits that profile perfectly,” said Jay Hoag, founding General Partner at TCV. “We are excited about working with Carsten, CPPIB, and existing shareholders to accelerate product innovation and drive continued growth.”
“Revolution invested in Sportradar because we know how powerful real-time data and analytics have become to the live sports business. Sportradar’s vision for how the world will use this data has made them the most influential sports data and information company in the world and they are well-positioned for expansion in the U.S. market given the recent decision by the Supreme Court to legalize sports betting,” said Ted Leonsis, Revolution Growth Cofounder and Partner.
EQT initially invested in Sportradar through its fund EQT Expansion Capital II in 2012, and subsequently invested through its fund EQT VI in 2014. During its partnership with EQT, Sportradar has seen positive organic and acquisition-based growth at approximately 40% revenue growth annually, and has grown its presence in Europe, the United States and Asia via the addition of 1,400 employees and a number of key strategic hires. The company now monitors and delivers insights from more than 400,000 matches annually across 60 sports categories, having developed the industry’s most proficient software while setting new standards for speed and accuracy.
“Sportradar has undergone an extraordinary transformation and is today a true global market leader in the sports data and digital content solutions space. The management team – led by Carsten – has done a fantastic job in driving the business towards the strategic vision that formed the basis for the partnership between Carsten and EQT,” said Dominik Stein, Partner at EQT. “We are convinced that CPPIB and TCV will be great partners to drive the strategic agenda for the future and EQT is excited to maintain a minority stake in the company.”
Closing of the transaction is expected in Q4 2018, subject to the receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals and consents.
Source: Gambling Industry Press Releases
Everything comes back around in popularity or at least that is what they say. It has happened with vinyl records and now the same is occurring with retro video games. Yes, classic video games have become popular as children of the 1980s and 1990s have grown older and moved into the workforce. But classic games haven’t just become popular to play. People are spending large sums of money on classic games from 20 and 30 years ago and owners who sell the games are making tidy sums. Gamers looking for classic games online can find free casino slot games inspired by retro video games.
Why are classic games popular again?
Classic video games are becoming popular as many older gamers look for a nostalgia factor. Playing games from their childhood brings back memories of yesteryear. Old Nintendo games are a link to the past for many gamers and it is something they don’t want to lose. Nintendo announced in August that it would release a back catalogue of classic games for a new platform. The move will capitalise on the growing number of people looking for older games rather than newer ones. Many older games have inspired online slots which has driven their popularity sky-high.
In addition to personal reasons, today’s mega-blockbuster video games are seen as too violent by many. While video games of the past were an escape from reality, modern games are based – at least loosely – on the problems of the world. From first person shooters to Grand Theft Auto, many older gamers want to play games that don’t reflect reality.
How much are rare video games worth?
A recent study of rare and nostalgic video games from the last 30 years has found a number of old games selling for large sums of money. According to one source, a copy of Nintendo’s Campus Challenge 1991 sells for around $22,000. Amazingly, the now rare game cost just $30 back in 1991. Gamers who had a copy could cash-in on Campus Challenge if they are able to find it. Other rare games selling for big money include the 1988 Sega Megadrive edition of Tetris and Atari’s Air Raid from 1982.
Ultimate 11 is another that is high on the rare games list. According to reports, only 10 copies exist and each goes for $10,000. Kizuna Encounter had only 15 English versions created and is reportedly worth $13,000. One video game collector paid $55,000 for a copy of both games in 2009.
…And then there’s E.T.
In 1982, Atari rushed E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial video game into the marketplace. Atari gave E.T.’s creator just five and a half weeks to develop the game. The company wanted it out in time for Christmas and to reap the rewards of the holiday season. The rushed game was awful and gamers hated it. It barely sold and Atari had warehouses chocked full of E.T. games it couldn’t sell. Unable to move the games and with Atari becoming obsolete by the mid-1980s, the company buried hundreds of thousands of copies of E.T. and other games in the New Mexico desert. Some have been dug up and rare copies of the game have sold for $1,535 at auction. The excavators of the long-lost cartridges found 900 E.T. games in total. After selling them on eBay, the group made $108,000.
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Source: Gambling Industry Press Releases
AUGUST 2018, VALETTA/MALTA, RIGA/LATVIA: Today SoftGamings and EGT Interactive announced partnership, which includes providing the EGT Interactive gaming content on the SoftGamings platform.
SoftGamings is a platform developer, gaming aggregator and i-gaming services provider with over 10 years of experience in the industry. The company’s game providers’ suite is regularly enriched with recognised titles, such as EGT this August.
EGT Interactive brings the 15 years of experience of the EGT’s land-based casino slots to the world of online casino games. More than 150 games are known worldwide in more than 85 countries.
EGT Interactive offers several kinds of game types – slots, table games, card games, Keno and jackpot games. They are available in both desktop and mobile.
The most popularity seem to be enjoyed by EGT classic slots, such as 40 Super Hot, Burning Hot and Extra Stars. All titles feature traditional design with fruit symbols, as it was in the beginning of the slot machine era. There is no ‘Spin’ or similar button – instead of it a player has to press the button with an exact amount of bet, which can be chosen each time new.
Apart from slots, EGT Interactive offers 2 kinds of table games – European Roulette and Lucky Circle, Card games – Four of a Kind Bonus Poker, Joker Poker and Jacks and Better Poker, and also Keno Universe.
The EGT Interactive jackpot is a multilevel system, where every level is marked with a different card suit. The jackpot cards bonus is randomly triggered after a single game is finished.
The EGT Interactive gaming content is already available for integration from the SoftGamings feature-rich platform. Casino operators can add this software to their casino environments via single unified API.
Irina Sazonova, Director of Partnerships at SoftGamings says: ‘I am happy about our new cooperation with the EGT Interactive. It is a recognised provider, which produces a really quality content, which perfectly suits our Slots Bundle and Casino Games Integration offerings.’
As an aggregator, SoftGamings offers several ways of acquiring games – Slots Bundle, Live Casino Bundle and Casino Games Integration. EGT Interactive content is available as a part of Slots Bundle – a package of the best slot providers in the i-gaming industry. It can also be integrated separately or pick up several more providers at operator’s wish.
About EGT Interactive:
EGT Interactive is a Bulgaria-based gaming provider that brings the 15 years of experience of the EGT’s land-based casino slots to the world of online casino games. The company is growing rapidly through constant innovation, consumer-centric approach and top-notch support. Every single aspect of the company’s products is designed in line with the customer needs. The EGT games are based on an attractive Return-to-Player (RTP) strategy, which has proven to increase the player lifetime value.
About SoftGamings:
SoftGamings is a B2B casino platforms provider and gaming systems aggregator. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, SoftGamings provides solutions demanded in the market and develops its own creative solutions – White Label, Turnkey, Self-Service, Bitcoin platform solutions, Bonus System Standalone feature, Sportsbook solution, Slots Bundle, Live Bundle and Casino Games Integration. SoftGamings’ strong IT team can also provide gamification possibilities, which is one of the major industry trends. Products portfolio includes 40+ gaming suppliers with 3000+ games. The company offers live dealer solutions from Evolution Gaming, NetEnt, Ezugi, Authentic Gaming, Lucky Streak etc, slots from NetEnt, Microgaming, BetSoft, Endorphina, Habanero, Booming Games, WorldMatch etc, sportsbook, hosting, licensing and banking services. Over 100 clients use SoftGamings products and services since 2007.
Source: Gambling Industry Press Releases
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