Over the last twelve months, we’ve seen several gambling firms announce acquisitions. Some of these acquisitions have been small, while others have been big, which is why we’ve decided to take a look back at some of the acquisitions made this year and what they mean for 2022.
Evolution, formerly Evolution Gaming, is known primarily as a live casino game provider. Over the last few years, the studio has acquired several other game developers, including Ezugi and NetEnt and its subsidiary Red Tiger Gaming. In July this year, the studio announced that it had completed its latest acquisition of Big Time Gaming, the game developer best known for creating the MegaWays slot engine.
As we reported, Evolution will pay €450 million as part of the acquisition, and the agreement has seen Big Time Gaming join NetEnt, Red Tiger Gaming, and Ezugi, and launch content under the Evolution banner. The agreement also sees Big Time Gaming’s content launch with all Evolution-partnered casino operators. Throughout 2022, we’ll likely see Big Time Gaming continue to release new casino content under Evolution, and we may see the live game provider seek out other acquisitions as it seeks to grow its brands.
In March 2021, leading gambling operator LeoVegas announced that it had completed its acquisition of sportsbook Expekt from the Betclic Group. As reported, LeoVegas agreed to pay a whopping €5 million for the firm, including all rights to its branding and access to the organisation’s customer database. The sportsbook is now owned by LeoVegas, helping to expand the group’s sports betting business.
Expekt previously operated in the United Kingdom, allowing users here to register with and play at the brand’s online casino and sportsbook. In 2019, Expekt pulled out of the UK market. Since LeoVegas has a large presence within the UK, we could potentially see LeoVegas launch the Expekt brand in the market again, although we don’t think this is too likely.
Last month, Microgaming announced that it’s agreed to sell its Quickfire distribution business and games to developer Games Global Limited. The agreement is expected to complete in Q2 2022 pending certain regulatory approvals, which means we won’t see any changes until then.
As part of the acquisition, we’ll see the newly-founded Games Global Limited acquire the distribution rights to Microgaming’s Quickfire gaming content and take on the customer base of more than 900 casino operators. Once completed, it’s likely that we’ll see the Quickfire release new content under the Games Global Limited brand.
The predictions above are our thoughts, and regardless of what actually happens, it’s likely that we’ll see further acquisitions throughout 2022 as gambling companies look to expand their content portfolios and grow their customer base. If you’d like to stay on top of all acquisitions, we suggest you check back with us on a regular basis.
