Latest News
Statement by the Board of Directors of LeoVegas in relation to the public offer from MGM
The Board of Directors of LeoVegas unanimously recommends the shareholders of LeoVegas to accept the public offer from MGM of SEK 61 in cash per share.
This statement is made by the Board of Directors[1] of LeoVegas AB (publ) (the “Company” or “LeoVegas”) pursuant to Rule II.19 of the Nasdaq Stockholm Takeover Rules (the “Takeover Rules”).
Background
MGM Casino Next Lion, LLC, a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of MGM Resorts International (“MGM”), has today announced a public offer to the shareholders of LeoVegas to transfer all of their shares in LeoVegas to MGM for a consideration of SEK 61 in cash per LeoVegas share (the “Offer”). The total value of the Offer corresponds to approximately SEK 5,957 million[2]. The price of SEK 61 per share in the Offer will not be increased.
The Offer represents a premium of:
· approximately 44.1 per cent compared to the closing price of SEK 42.32 of LeoVegas shares on Nasdaq Stockholm on 29 April 2022, which was the last trading day prior to the announcement of the Offer;
· approximately 57.6 per cent compared to the volume-weighted average trading price of SEK 38.70 of LeoVegas shares on Nasdaq Stockholm during the last 30 trading days prior to the announcement of the Offer; and
· approximately 76.5 per cent compared to the volume-weighted average trading price of SEK 34.56 of LeoVegas shares on Nasdaq Stockholm during the last 180 trading days prior to the announcement of the Offer.
The acceptance period for the Offer is expected to commence on or around 3 June 2022 and expire on or around 30 August 2022.
Completion of the Offer is conditional upon, inter alia, that the Offer is accepted to such an extent that MGM becomes the owner of shares representing more than 90 per cent of the outstanding shares in LeoVegas (on a fully diluted basis), as well as all regulatory, governmental or similar clearances, approvals and decisions necessary to complete the Offer, including approvals and clearances from competition authorities, being obtained, in each case on terms which, in MGM’s opinion, are acceptable. MGM has reserved the right to waive the conditions for completion of the Offer. The Offer is not conditional upon financing. MGM has stated that it will not increase the price of SEK 61 in the Offer. By this statement, MGM cannot, in accordance with the Takeover Rules, increase the price in the Offer.
The Board of Directors of LeoVegas has given consent to MGM to offer a management incentive plan for certain key employees of LeoVegas and notes that MGM has obtained a statement from the Swedish Securities Council (Sw. Aktiemarknadsnämnden) confirming that the proposed incentive plan is compatible with the Takeover Rules (Ruling 2022:16).
The Board of Directors of LeoVegas has, at the written request of MGM, permitted MGM to carry out a due diligence review of LeoVegas in connection with the preparation of the Offer. With the exception of information that was subsequently included in LeoVegas’ Q1 report for 2022, MGM has not been provided with any inside information regarding LeoVegas in connection with the due diligence review.
MGM has obtained irrevocable undertakings to accept the Offer from the Company’s largest shareholder and Chief Executive Officer, Gustaf Hagman, and certain other shareholders[3]. Gustaf Hagman has undertaken to tender 8,050,000 shares (8.2 per cent of the outstanding shares in LeoVegas), and other shareholders have undertaken to tender a total of 6,909,281 shares in LeoVegas (7.1 per cent). Accordingly, irrevocable undertakings to accept the Offer from shareholders representing in total 14,959,281 shares (15.3 per cent) have been obtained. The irrevocable undertakings apply irrespective of whether a higher competing offer is made. The irrevocable undertakings will terminate if the Offer is not declared unconditional on or before 31 October 2022. In addition, Torsten Söderberg, who is also a Board member of LeoVegas, has stated that he is very supportive of the Offer. Torsten Söderberg and family owns 4,533,861 shares in LeoVegas (4.6 percent).
SEB Corporate Finance (“SEB”) is acting as financial adviser and Cederquist is acting as legal adviser to LeoVegas in connection with the Offer.
Process conducted by the Board of Directors
In parallel with other interested third parties contemplating public tender offers, MGM contacted LeoVegas in December 2021. The Board of Directors engaged SEB to lead the process of evaluating other parties’ interest for the Company. In February 2022, MGM submitted a non-binding offer letter to the Board of Directors of LeoVegas indicating an interest to pursue with a public offer subject to, inter alia, a satisfactory due diligence review and the Board of Directors of LeoVegas recommending the shareholders to accept the offer from MGM. The Board of Directors gave MGM permission to conduct a due diligence review. As instructed by the Board of Directors, SEB entertained parallel processes with other interested parties in the interest of creating maximum value for the shareholders in LeoVegas. Following further negotiations with the Board of Directors and SEB, MGM increased its non-binding offer, to a price level other interested parties could not match, in order to receive a recommendation from the Board of Directors.
The Board of Directors’ recommendation
In its evaluation of the Offer, the Board of Directors has taken a number of factors into account which the Board of Directors deems relevant. These factors include, but are not limited to, the Company’s present strategic and financial position and the Company’s expected potential future development and thereto related opportunities and risks.
The Board of Directors notes that the Offer represents a premium of approximately 44.1 per cent compared to the closing price of SEK 42.32 of the Company’s share on Nasdaq Stockholm on 29 April 2022, which was the last trading day before the announcement of the Offer, and a premium of approximately 57.6 per cent and 76.5 per cent respectively, compared to the volume-weighted average share price for the Company’s share on Nasdaq Stockholm during the last 30 and 180 trading days, respectively, prior to the announcement.
As noted above, LeoVegas has received several indications of interest or non-binding offers concerning a potential tender offer. MGM’s offer is, in the assessment of the LeoVegas Board of Directors, the superior offer from the perspective of the shareholders. The LeoVegas Board of Directors has investigated and considered market and industry trends, and certain strategic alternatives available to LeoVegas. Such alternatives included, but were not limited to, remaining an independent listed company with a possible listing in the USA. The LeoVegas Board of Directors has also considered the risks and uncertainties associated with such alternatives.
LeoVegas operates in an industry which is characterised by, inter alia, high innovation pace, new regulation and consolidation. In this context, the Board of Directors believes that the industrial logic and strategic fit between LeoVegas and MGM is attractive and should serve both the company and its employees well in the future.
The Board of Directors further notes that LeoVegas’ largest shareholder and Chief Executive Officer Gustaf Hagman and certain other shareholders, representing in aggregate 15.3 per cent of the outstanding shares and votes in the Company, have entered into undertakings to accept the Offer, subject to certain conditions, irrespective of whether a higher competing offer is made. In addition, Torsten Söderberg, who is also a Board member of LeoVegas and together with family owns 4.6 per cent of the outstanding shares, has stated that he is very supportive of the Offer.
As part of the Board of Directors’ evaluation of the Offer, the Board of Directors has engaged BDO to issue a so-called fairness opinion regarding the Offer, see Appendix 1. According to the fairness opinion, the Offer is fair to LeoVegas’ shareholders from a financial point of view (subject to the assumptions and considerations set out in the fairness opinion).
Under the Takeover Rules, the Board of Directors shall, based on the statements made by MGM in the Offer press release issued earlier today, present its opinion regarding the impact that the implementation of the Offer will have on LeoVegas, particularly in terms of employment, and its opinion regarding MGM’s strategic plans for LeoVegas and the effects it is anticipated that such plans will have on employment and on the places in which LeoVegas conducts its business. In this respect, the Board of Directors notes that MGM has stated that “MGM values the skills and talents of LeoVegas’ management and employees and intends to continue to safeguard the excellent relationship that LeoVegas has with its employees. Given MGM’s current knowledge of LeoVegas and in light of current market conditions, MGM does not intend to materially alter the operations of LeoVegas following the implementation of the Offer, subject, of course, to MGM’s continued regulatory review. There are currently no decisions on any material changes to LeoVegas’ or MGM’s employees and management or to the existing organization and operations, including the terms of employment and locations of the business”. The Board of Directors assumes that this description is correct and has no reason to take a different view in this respect.
Based on the above, the Board of Directors unanimously recommends the shareholders in LeoVegas to accept the Offer.
This statement shall in all respects be governed by and construed in accordance with Swedish law. Disputes arising from this statement shall be settled exclusively by Swedish courts.
The information in the press release is information that LeoVegas is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation and the Takeover Rules. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, at 08.00 CEST on 2 May 2022.
[1] The Board member Torsten Söderberg and the Company’s largest shareholder and Chief Executive Officer Gustaf Hagman have not participated in the Board’s evaluation of or discussions regarding the Offer due to conflict of interest.
[2] Based on 97,652,970 outstanding shares in LeoVegas, which excludes 4,000,000 treasury shares held by LeoVegas. In the event that LeoVegas should pay any dividend or make any other value transfer prior to the settlement of the Offer, the price per share in the Offer will be reduced correspondingly.
[3] LOYS AG: 3,259,281 shares (3.3 per cent). Robin Ramm-Ericson: 2,250,000 shares (2.3 per cent). Pontus Hagnö: 1,000,000 shares (1.0 per cent). Gilston Invest AB: 400,000 shares (0.4 per cent).
Since the beginning of 2024, content aggregator and solution provider Slotegrator has been analyzing case studies and conducting careful research. Why did the company choose this development path? What results have been achieved, and what can be expected in the future? It’s time to take a look at how 2024 is going — and maybe get a sneak peek at 2025.
Since the beginning of the year, Slotegrator has continued to actively present its new and updated solutions, like the company’s turnkey online casino platform and its key modules, including the KYC, BI, and Casino Builder modules, alongside many others. These modules are strategically designed to streamline online casino management, covering tasks like analyzing big data, assessing risks, and enhancing platform performance.
The modules have proven to be very effective, partially because they satisfy clients’ concrete needs. The primary sources of inspiration for these cutting-edge innovations are the company’s internal research and case studies of successful clients.
According to Slotegrator’s internal research, clients reported that the integration of these updates came at just the right time. Customers particularly valued the revamped player segmentation module, offering customization options and personalized marketing options, and a renewed anti-fraud module that utilizes a color-coded risk scale that allows operators to set risk levels.
“This feedback from our customers is a great foundation for Slotegrator’s future report on future iGaming trends in 2025. We’re constantly collecting and updating information on new technologies, game types, payment methods and player behavior, and honest feedback on the new features of upgrades helps us understand the direction of our future development,” comments Yana Khaidukova, managing director at Slotegrator.
Innovation is key to keeping up with the fast-paced iGaming industry. In 2024, the Slotegrator team is focused on enhancing product quality and publishing insightful case studies to better demonstrate the capabilities of its products. So far, Slotegrator has published multiple case studies analyzing its clients’ success. Here are the two latest examples:
- BetSloty’s global expansion strategy in the online gambling industry.
- Alanbase’s experience optimizing affiliate marketing.
When it comes to modern iGaming trends, many of them haven’t changed — we should expect to see more VR integration in esports, AI, blockchain, and cryptocurrency adoption. Also, mobile-first gameplay will be a new standard. The Slotegrator team has also noted an increasing emphasis on responsible gaming throughout the iGaming industry. Slotegrator keeps all of these in mind when entering attractive markets with new partners — especially those in Latin America and Asia.
What about licenses? Slotegrator recommends keeping up to date with licensing conditions. Among the most promising jurisdictions are:
- Kahnawake
- The Isle of Man.
- Anjouan
Faruk Aydin, Chief Revenue Officer of Revpanda, a Slotegrator’s media partner, adds to the list of trends some points about promotion on the iGaming industry: “Within the first half of 2024, we’ve seen that human-written content has made a great comeback, thanks to Google’s recent core update. It has started to remove AI-written shallow content across the entire SERPs, and the SEO community expects this trend to continue. Overall, we can say that the first half of the year strongly demonstrates Google’s effort to fill the SERPs with high-quality, engaging, local, and relevant content, avoiding fluff and providing the most useful resources to people.”
William Sarto, PR & Marketing specialist at CasinoRIX or CasinoRIX team, comments:
“In recent months, Google has undergone several significant changes due to a major update that started in March and ended in April. Then, at the beginning of May, they launched another big update. We’ve already seen many affiliate sites affected by this, particularly those that overused AI-generated content. AI has become mainstream, so it’s important to integrate it into processes based on thorough market analysis and real statistical data.
Moreover, there’s a clear trend towards creating projects that offer additional value for players and partners. It’s crucial to build a brand, not just a network of sites, and to add values into what you create while striving to meet customer needs. We fully agree with the earlier comments that in-depth analysis and staying in tune with trends will lead to success and growth. As we can see, all major and well-known projects are steadily growing with these updates.”
The post Slotegrator’s review of the first half of 2024 in iGaming: results & trends appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
By: Evgeniy Babitsyn, Chief Marketing Officer, Bets.io
The sport industry finds itself amidst its own digital transformation journey with the introduction of new technologies, and at the forefront of this digital shift are NFTs – otherwise known as Non-Fungible Tokens.
NFTs can represent any kind of digital item, and in recent years have commonly been used for quirky collectibles and art work – but they now enter the sports arena in a unique way. The beauty of NFTs is the unique metadata and ownership information which is tracked via blockchain, making them a one-of-a-kind digital collectible that cannot be duplicated. As a result of their collectible nature, it’s only natural that NFTs caught the eyes of eager sports enthusiasts and die-hard fans.
In fact, according to Deloitte research, around 40% of Gen Z and millennial sports fans are at least somewhat familiar with the use of NFTs and fan tokens in sports.
But why is that? And how can they boost engagement?
NFTs are rapidly emerging as a powerful tool for sports brands in driving deeper fan engagement and unlocking new revenue streams. This is because sports fans are, by nature, competitive and eager to own exclusive content from their much loved players, teams and brands. They want to be part of the action.
By playing on this feeling, and reinforcing loyalty among fans in this way, sports brands have a huge opportunity to take their revenue streams to new heights and gain a competitive advantage over other brands.
Imagine an athlete releases a limited-edition NFT that represents the most iconic moment in their career, such as the winning shot or a record breaking performance. Fans who own that NFT can then access exclusive content related to that moment including behind-the-scenes footage or interviews.
There really is no limit to these tokens, and depending on the asset, they can be much sought after. As more and more sports fans embrace the digital tokens, sports brands are quickly learning that there is huge potential for fan engagement, if they continue to innovate with this technology.
Taking collectibles to the 21st Century
Sports memorabilia and collectibles have for centuries been a way for fans to feel more connected to their favourite teams and athletes. And now thanks to the advances of technology – more specifically, blockchain technology – fans can collect within the digital realm, gaining access to truly “own” unique digital items and experiences.
Beyond just digital art or collectibles, NFTs can also integrate the idea of gamification, exclusive content and experiences into their NFTs – allowing fans to engage more actively while unlocking new revenue opportunities.
The possibilities are endless, extending far beyond just digital collectibles. They can provide fans with access to exclusive digital or in-person experiences, events and merch as well. Think front row seats or the chance for a meet and greet post-game.
With this, NFTs provide an excellent way for brands to diversify their revenue streams by monetising their content and intellectual property strategically.
It really is win-win, fans can own a piece of their favourite team’s history while supporting their team financially. And sports brands can benefit from more loyal fans.
Transforming the fan experience
Engagement is everything to sports brands. After all, the fans are really the most important stakeholders in the end. And offering NFTs can be a powerful tool in fostering deeper engagement within fan communities. NFTs provide more innovative ways for fans to connect, prove their loyalty and gain recognition for their allegiance.
Let’s look at NBA Top Shot. NBA Top Shot is the perfect example of a blockchain-based platform that allows fans to own and collect officially licensed NBA collectibles digitally. The platform offers exclusive collectibles including videos of the biggest NBA moments and highlights.
And football teams are also following suit. Manchester City, PSG, FC Barcelona have all joined in on the NFT hype – offering their own NFT collections for keen supporters such as worn jerseys, trophies and more.
Sports Betting and NFTs
And when it comes to sports betting, NFTs take the iGaming experience to the next level. Fans can purchase NFTs that represent specific bets, such as the winner of a particular game or the performance of a specific player. These NFTs can then be traded or sold, just like other NFTs, providing a new level of flexibility and excitement for betting.
The use of NFTs in the sports industry is still in its early stages, but has already shown great potential. We can expect more applications to come in the world of sports – including at Bets.io. Watch this space.
Looking ahead, the future is incredibly promising for sports brands who leverage NFTs within their business operations. Those who embrace these new powerful ways to inspire fans and forge deeper relationships with their communities, will see their efforts translate into business value.
The post NFTs and the future of fan engagement: How NFTs can boost engagement with sports brands appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Raketech has announced its Q1 2024 financial results.
Q1 2024 Financial Highlights
- Revenues in Q1 of 2024 totaled EUR 19.0 million (EUR 15.8 million), reflecting an organic growth increase of 20.1% (24.4%), driven by continued strong performance from sub-affiliation partially offset by weaker-than-expected results within affiliation marketing.
- EBITDA, adjusted for restructuring costs, was EUR 5.1 million (EUR 6.1 million), impacted by a weaker performance in Sweden compared to the previous year and soft performance of the Casumba assets following the Google Core update during the quarter. Other regions and products performed well, with sub-affiliation delivering a strong quarter in terms of EBITDA contribution.
- Operating profit, adjusted for costs related to re-structuring, amounted to EUR 2.0 million (EUR 3.8 million).
- Free cash flow before earnouts increased to EUR 6.5 million (EUR 5.6 million) with a positive working capital development from trade receivables.
- Earnouts settled during the quarter amounted to EUR 13.0 million.
Full-Year Outlook
Current trading, including April, implies an adjusted EBITDA of around EUR 20.0 million for the full year. Free cash flow before earnouts for the full year is estimated to come in just below adjusted EBITDA.
Subsequent Events After the End of the Period
On May 14, 2024, the board decided to withdraw its previously announced proposal to distribute dividends in 2024, in line with its commitment to maintaining financial flexibility and supporting the company’s long term growth ambitions. The primary focus is delivering value to shareholders and continuing to evaluate opportunities to enhance shareholder returns in a way that aligns with the Company’s long-term value-creation objectives.
Current Trading
Revenues in April 2024 amounted to EUR 5.9 million (EUR 5.9 million).
Raketech Acting CEO Johan Svensson said: “In the first quarter of 2024, we delivered EUR 19.0 million in revenues, representing an organic increase of 20.1%, primarily driven by Sub-affiliation. Adjusted EBITDA came in at EUR 5.1 million, while EBITDA was EUR 4.3 million, consistent with our trading update published on 1 May. We remain confident in our market-leading product offerings and see promising growth opportunities through our strategic initiatives in sports offerings, exclusive partnerships, and media deals. These efforts will position us well for continued growth in the coming years, and we remain committed to maximizing shareholder value.”
The post Raketech Announces Q1 2024 Results appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
-
Latest News3 weeks agoThe Importance of Data Quality Review Checks in the Gaming Industry
-
Asia3 weeks agoOnlyplay Enters into Strategic Partnership with Ritchie Rabbit
-
EurAsia4 weeks agoThe “Power Has No Gender” awards ceremony held by TotoGaming has reached a new level
-
Africa4 weeks agoNE Group powers 888bets launch in Angola
-
Balkans3 weeks agoWazdan marks Croatian market entry with PSK partnership
-
Central Europe4 weeks agoApparat Gaming and edict egaming announce partnership
-
Africa3 weeks agoHub88 partners with LiveGames to enhance content offering
-
Australia3 weeks ago
Tabcorp Partners with OpenBet’s Sportsbook Technology to Propel Growth and Enhance User Experience
