Balkans
Entain Partners with EMMA Capital to Establish Entain CEE
Entain has partnered with EMMA Capital (EMMA), a leading investment firm based in the Czech Republic, to establish a new venture (Entain CEE) to drive expansion in Central and Eastern Europe. Entain will own 75% of the economic rights in Entain CEE. Entain CEE will acquire the SuperSport Group, the leading gaming and sportsbook operator in Croatia from EMMA.
The new platform will be led by SuperSport’s CEO, Radim Haluza, who has significant experience across the region. The combination of Entain’s global scale, access to capital and content, EMMA’s regional knowledge and connectivity, alongside the expert local operational knowledge of Radim and his team, makes Entain CEE uniquely positioned to unlock the significant opportunity across the region. This bespoke structure will allow Entain to join with further leading local operators through Entain CEE to continue to grow this unique platform across the region.
For 75% of the economic rights in SuperSport, Entain will pay EUR 600 million in cash at completion; and a further contingent payment of EUR 90 million made to EMMA in early 2023 based on SuperSport’s EBITDA for the financial year ending 2022.
EMMA will contribute their 25% stake in SuperSport to Entain CEE at an initial implied valuation of €200m, with the contingent payment implying an additional €30m value contributed by EMMA.
The Acquisition is expected to value SuperSport at €920m which implies a transaction multiple of 9.6x 2022 EBITDA, or 9.1x 2022 fully synergised EBITDA.
The Acquisition will be financed through a €700m bridge loan from Deutsche Bank, Lloyds, Mediobanca, NatWest and Santander. The Acquisition will increase Entain’s pro-forma net debt to EBITDA leverage ratio in 2022 by 0.4x. The Acquisition is expected to complete in Q4 2022 and is conditional upon regulatory approvals.
“We are excited to create Entain CEE with EMMA to underpin our strategy across the CEE region, and to be acquiring the leading betting and gaming operator in the highly attractive, fully regulated Croatian market. We see Croatia as an exciting, dynamic country which Entain CEE is perfectly positioned to expand from – we are very much looking forward to growing our business responsibly within the country and the region. By bringing together Entain’s global expertise and EMMA’s regional investment track record, we are creating a growth platform with considerable opportunity. Expansion across CEE is a core component of our growth strategy, and we look forward to having Radim on board to help drive this opportunity,” Jette Nygaard-Anderson, CEO of Entain, said.
“EMMA is very happy to be partnering with the leading global betting, gaming and interactive entertainment business to unlock the opportunity posed by the CEE betting and gaming market. We see the Entain CEE structure as a clear opportunity for creating value for shareholders, and we look forward to working closely and collaboratively with Entain,” Pavel Horák, Chief Investment Officer at EMMA, said.
“I am looking forward to joining with Entain and further building on the significant opportunity presented in this region. The prospect of leading Entain CEE to drive expansion in fully regulated markets is an exciting opportunity, and EMMA’s investment expertise combined with Entain’s world-class platform will give us the competitive edge in delivering on the CEE opportunity,” Radim Haluza, CEO of SuperSport, said.
Wazdan, the gain-focused developer behind some of the world’s most rewarding casino game experiences, has entered the Croatian market after signing with PSK, a leading operator in the country.
The provider is taking some of its most acclaimed slots live with the operator, including player-favourites such as 9 Coins™ 1000 Edition, Hot Slot™: Magic Bombs, Burning Stars 3™, which will become available to Croatian players for the very first time.
A prominent operator in the country since 1998, PSK is part of the internationally-known Fortuna Entertainment Group. With over 900 employees and a constantly growing player base, the brand is set to enrich its content offering with Wazdan’s titles.
Croatia marks the newest market entry for Wazdan, which further boosts its impressive European performance as a result of this deal. More partnerships in the country are expected to be announced in due course.
Radka Bacheva, Sales and Business Development at Wazdan: “Croatia is a country that boasts a fantastic amount of potential, so we’re delighted to be entering the market for the very first time with PSK, a top-tier operator.
“We’re bringing a range of our top-performing titles to its platform, and are excited to see the reception from Croatian players towards our mechanics. We’re confident this will be the start of a successful collaboration.”
Martina Pehar, Group Product Specialist at PSK said: “It’s an honour to welcome Wazdan to the Croatian market for the first time as part of this deal – we’ve seen the reception to their dynamic slots across the world, and we’re thrilled to be bringing them to our players.
“Wazdan bring a fantastic collection of their titles to our platform, including standouts such as Power of Gods: Hades and Clover Lady, that we’re sure our customers are going to embrace. We look forward to seeing the results!”
The post Wazdan marks Croatian market entry with PSK partnership appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Anakatech, a developer of platforms and comprehensive solutions for the iGaming sector, has entered into a partnership with GameArt, a developer of high-quality HTML5 slot games for both online and land-based casino operators. As per the deal, GameArt’s games are now integrated on Anakatech’s gaming platform.
Anakatech offers complete casino solutions with a portfolio of innovative online and mobile games. Through this collaboration, Anakatech enhances its platform by integrating GameArt’s exceptional games, further enriching the gaming experience for its partners and players alike.
Yauheni Charniuk, Account Manager at GameArt, said: “We are delighted to partner with Anakatech as this collaboration enables us to bring our high-quality online slot games to Anakatech’s partners and clients. We look forward to many years of working together!”
The post Anakatech Incorporates GameArt’s High-Quality Slot Titles into Cutting-Edge Platform appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Hacksaw Gaming and the swiftly up and coming Alphawin solidify their new partnership with the launch of 12 of Hacksaw’s top picks on their site.
As of the 10th of April, Alphawin’s players will be able to enjoy the likes of Chaos Crew, Wanted Dead or a Wild, RIP City and many others. Set to be a hit amongst Alphawin users in Bulgaria, we are anticipating the launch of even more of our fan favourite games in the near future. In a market that has been dominated by local well-known brands for a while, we look forward to seeing how Hacksaw games make waves with Alphawin’s players.
Founded in 2007, Alphabet Gaming now has a sizable network of over 10 land-based casinos and has easily been named one of the region’s industry leaders with its growth. Moving and adapting with the evolution of online gaming, they established Alphawin in 2021. They currently boast one of the largest online casino portfolios in the region, featuring 27 slots and 6 live casino providers. With hopes to add more before the close of 2024, the future is looking like a bright one for Alphawin.
“We are very excited to start our partnership with Hacksaw Gaming.” Alphawin’s spokesperson stated that “the company offers an innovative and unique take on the concept of casino gaming and is an excellent fit for us!”
Set for star positioning, Hacksaw Gaming’s games will see the spotlight in the initial launch with banners, targeted ads and top lobby positions. CEO Marcus Cordes shares Alphawin’s positive outlook on the partnership – “Another strong collaboration under our belts! We’re absolutely sure that the avid Alphawin players will enjoy our artistic visuals and enticing bonus features of our most loved games. With of course plans to expand the Hacksaw portfolio in the future”
As both parties broaden their horizons and look onwards, what do we foresee? Well, we see Hacksaw Gaming and Alphawin, a truly prime pairing.
The post Making a Bang in Bulgaria! Hacksaw Gaming goes live with Alphawin appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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