Canada
Bragg Gaming continues US expansion; acquires premium content developer Wild Streak Gaming
Global B2B iGaming technology and content provider Bragg Gaming Group today announced that it has acquired Wild Streak Gaming (“Wild Streak“), a Las Vegas, Nevada based content creation studio with a portfolio of 39 premium casino slot titles supported across online and land-based applications.
Bragg signed a purchase agreement to acquire all of the outstanding membership interests of Wild Streak in a cash and stock transaction for a purchase price of approximately USD30 million. Pursuant to the Transaction, which closed simultaneously with the signing of the purchase agreement, the sellers of Wild Streak received USD10 million in cash at closing and will receive USD20 million worth of common shares of Bragg over the next three years, subject to acceleration in the event of a change of control.
Together with the pending acquisition of Spin Games (“Spin”), announced on May 12, 2021, the Transaction serves to advance Bragg’s acquisition strategy by increasing its ability to distribute and develop high-quality online casino content to the US market in-house. The Transaction provides Bragg with a library of 39 premium casino content titles, including several top performing land-based titles, and a robust suite of intellectual property and know-how including game designs, mathematic works, advance game mechanics and features that are specifically tailored for US markets.
Wild Streak’s design team comprises experienced mathematical and creative minds from the casino gaming industry and includes Doug Fallon, the founder and CEO of Wild Streak and a renowned land-based slot designer with over 20 years of industry experience. Doug worked in several executive marketing and design positions over 11+ years at Aristocrat before founding Wild Streak. Wild Streak has created popular games for the largest US land-based slots manufacturers and designed the games and mechanics behind several well-known land-based slots titles and brands along with successful games in both social and real money online casinos. Wild Streak has a library of land-based content that will be customized for the USA online market along with building upon existing high performers such as Dragon Power in the USA online market.
Effective at closing of the Transaction, Mr. Fallon will join Bragg as Managing Director of Group Content and will play a key role in leading Bragg through its US content creation strategy while also collaborating closely with the Company’s European development staff to facilitate the cross-selling and repackaging of Bragg’s proprietary European content for US operators.
Upon the completion of the Spin and Wild Streak transactions, Bragg will have successfully executed on its strategy of acquiring the essential resources and technology assets required to become a tier one vertically integrated B2B iGaming business operating in US and Canadian markets. Bragg’s consolidated operations will comprise an enhanced full turnkey iGaming, content delivery and Player Engagement Platform with integrations into the majority of the tier one operators across both US and European markets, and a robust in-house content development function with localized market expertise that will allow the Company to expand its proprietary content offering.
Wild Streak reported USD1.05M in revenue and USD233,000 of EBITDA in FY2020, and USD487,000 in revenue and USD241,000 of EBITDA in Q12021.
“In an industry where premium content is king, Doug and his team have built up an enviable track record of developing leading premium casino slot content for both the land-based and online casino industry,” said Richard Carter, Chief Executive Officer of Bragg Gaming. “We look forward to integrating this know-how into Bragg’s overall offering and significantly expanding the Company’s higher margin proprietary in-house casino slot content capabilities.
“We expect this Transaction to be materially enhancing to both revenue and EBITDA in the first full year of ownership, as well as strategically compelling given Wild Steak brings a wealth of US market casino games insights into the group, including valuable game designs, advanced game mechanics and features that are specifically tailored for and proven in the US market.
“We welcome Doug and the whole Wild Streak team onboard, and we look forward to leveraging Doug’s expertise to lead our US and global content creation strategy,” he added.
“Richard and the Bragg Gaming executive team have put in place the strategy and key components to accelerate their growth and market share in the iGaming market, and Wild Streak is excited to be a cornerstone for their growth strategy,” commented Mr. Fallon. “We are highly impressed with the ORYX Gaming technology stack’s robust foundation and their roadmap for additional capabilities in development. We are looking forward to working with the ORYX team to create unique player experiences as we embed their technology into our game designs.”
“As the trends indicate, much of the historical content designed for Europe does not resonate with the traditional American player and we believe our background is an ideal fit with for the Bragg Gaming Group as it focuses on this emerging market,” he added.
Wild Streak Gaming Highlights
- Initially focused on land-based game design and mathematics, Wild Streak has been increasingly focusing on online content as it customizes games for a wide variety of markets in the US and Europe.
- Growing portfolio of 39 titles with a variety of game assets and design mechanics that service a broad array of operators and slot players with games deployed on 12 different platforms including land based, online and social casinos.
- Passionate agile team with multiple employees having over 20 years of experience in the slot design industry working for some of the largest companies including IGT, Aristocrat, Scientific Games and Konami.
- Wild Streak’s game content is distributed across six land-based platforms around the globe including traditional Class 3 casinos, video lottery terminal (VLT), limited payout machines (LPM) and Class 2 casino markets. Wild Steak has collaborated and deployed game content with leading global manufacturers including IGT and Scientific Games.
- Proven performers in land-based casino market across multiple slot manufacturer platforms.
- Highly successful in the NJ USA online market with Dragon Power and multiple successful titles released in Europe in 2021 including Congo Cash, Temujin Treasures, and Amazing Money Machine.
Bragg Gaming Group Highlights
- Leading global business-to-business gaming technology and content provider serving markets primarily in Europe and Latin America via its proprietary ORYX Gaming full turnkey solution.
- Its modular, scalable and fully customizable ORYX Gaming technology and content solutions have been developed, licensed, launched and operated on behalf of more than 125 iGaming and sports betting operators worldwide.
- The full ORYX turnkey solution offers online casino, sportsbook and lottery operations including the proprietary ORYX remote games server, ORYX Hub and the powerful new Player Engagement Platform (PEP).
- The innovative PEP suite of engagement tools offers proven retention-boosting gamification features such as Quests, Achievements, Leaderboards, Tournaments and bespoke Jackpot game promotions.
- Richard Carter was recently announced as CEO of Bragg, moving from the position of Board Chair, which he had held since October 2020.
AGA
DraftKings Set to Launch Mobile Sports Betting in North Carolina on March 11
Today, DraftKings Incorporated (DraftKings) (Nasdaq: DKNG) announced plans to launch its top-rated online sportsbook in North Carolina on March 11, 2024. This announcement is the culmination of DraftKings’ continued work with stakeholders and regulators across North Carolina to offer fans a responsible form of sports betting. Earlier this year, DraftKings and NASCAR agreed to terms on a written designation agreement, paving the way for the digital sports entertainment and gaming company to operate in the state. Once live in North Carolina, the DraftKings Sportsbook will be available in 27 United States states, in addition to Ontario, Canada.
North Carolina is known for its strong sports culture, housing the majority of the NASCAR industry, professional teams in the NFL, NBA and NHL as well as several universities competing at the Division-I level. Starting from March 11, DraftKings will provide eligible fans in the state several new and responsible ways to get in on the action. DraftKings’ online sportsbook provides a wide variety of betting markets and key offerings such as same-game parlays, in-game betting, special odds boosts and more on a safe, regulated platform with various customer protections in place such as deposit and time limits, access to responsible gaming resource materials, cool off and self-exclusion features along with DraftKings’ all new My Stat Sheet, an innovative responsible gaming feature that shows customers exactly how much time they’ve spent on DraftKings and the total amount of deposits they’ve placed on the platform.
“With the NCAA Tournament right around the corner and the NASCAR season in full throttle, we are thrilled to be launching our top-rated sportsbook app in North Carolina,” the President for DraftKings North America, Matt Kalish, said. “‘The Tar Heel State’ is home to a passionate fanbase and some of the most iconic college basketball programs of all time, making this an exciting time to introduce legalized online sports betting. We’re proud to be working alongside NASCAR as our market access partner and look forward to enhancing the fan experience across North Carolina with a fun, safe and seamless sports betting product.”
To celebrate the launch of legalized mobile sports betting going live in North Carolina, DraftKings, in collaboration with NASCAR, is teaming up with Carolina Panthers legend Greg Olsen for a ceremonial first bet on March 11, 2024. The event will take place at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte and feature remarks from Olsen as well as DraftKings Chief Commercial Officer Jeremy Elbaum and North Carolina State Representative Zack Hawkins.
In addition to hosting the ceremonial first bet in North Carolina on March 11, DraftKings is also recognizing Problem Gambling Awareness Month (PGAM) in March, led by the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) to increase public awareness of problem gaming and the availability of prevention, treatment and recovery services. DraftKings works closely with the NCPG to highlight the company’s responsible gaming initiatives and resources such as cool offs, limitations, key partnerships and mental health services.
Both active members of the American Gaming Association (AGA), DraftKings and NASCAR are committed to promoting the AGA’s Have A Game Plan: Bet Responsibly public service campaign, which educates customers on responsible gaming best practices such as establishing and adhering to a budget and only engaging with legal, regulated operators. DraftKings is committed to creating inclusive and responsible pathways for people to build, create, imagine and innovate through the DraftKings SERVES program.
Eligible customers in North Carolina can access the latest betting markets and more by downloading the DraftKings Sportsbook app available via iOS and Android. DraftKings is committed to providing customers with resources to help bet responsibly. Customers can review DraftKings’ responsible gaming tools here. For additional problem gaming support or services, North Carolina customers can call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Andrzej Hyla Chief Commercial Officer at Wazdan
Wazdan enters its next Canadian province with Loto‑Québec integration
Wazdan, the inventive developer of thrilling casino games, has introduced its portfolio to Loto-Québec through Light & Wonder’s aggregation platform, marking its premiere in the Canadian province.
This achievement underscores the provider’s dedication to the North American market, highlighting its ongoing expansion efforts in the region.
Players in Québec can now access Wazdan’s top-performing titles on the crown corporation’s online gaming platform, lotoquebec.com. Among these are beloved games like 9 Coins Grand Gold Edition, 9 Coins 1000 Edition, Hot Slot: 777 Crown, Magic Spins, and Hot Slot: Mystery Jackpot Joker.
Through this integration, Wazdan brings its engagement-boosting features such as Hold the Jackpot, Cash Infinity, Collect to Infinity, and customisable Volatility Levels to an even broader audience in Québec.
Andrzej Hyla, Chief Commercial Officer at Wazdan said: “With our sights firmly set on North American expansion, our market entry in Québec is a momentous occasion for Wazdan as we continue to bring innovative experiences to more players than ever before.
“Wazdan and Loto-Québec have a shared vision for delivering fresh content that puts users at the heart and we have no doubt our games will be received with tremendous success by their players.”
François Hardy, Product and Innovation Director at Loto‑Québec added: “As the sole iGaming operator in Québec, we pride ourselves on offering titles that truly add value to our platform. We are happy to bring Wazdan’s games to our players.”
Canada
BMM Testlabs Promotes Jean Corriveau to Senior Vice President of Global Quality Assurance and BMM Canada Regional Executive
Longtime BMM QA leader named to oversee Companyߣs largest testlab.
BMM Testlabs (BMM or the Company), the world’s original gaming test lab renowned for exceptional product compliance and certification services, today announced the promotion of Jean Corriveau to Senior Vice President of Global Quality Assurance and BMM Canada Regional Executive.
In this expanded role, Corriveau will oversee the Companyߣs global product quality assurance efforts, ensuring high standards of excellence across all BMM operations. Additionally, as the BMM Canada Regional Executive, Corriveau will spearhead BMMߣs global product QA strategic initiatives to drive growth, innovation, and excellence.
Corriveau’s 23-year trajectory in the gaming industry underscores his expertise and adaptability. His journey began as a software developer, from which he quickly advanced to Business Development Manager at BMM. He continued his upward trajectory when he became the Vice President of Quality Operations for BMM’s largest global lab based in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada.
BMM Innovation Group Chief Operations Officer Kara Matthew said, “With Jean at the helm, BMM Moncton transformed into a premier global QA center of excellence, showcasing his skill in driving growth and innovation. Weߣre thrilled to see Jean continue to advance and take ownership of our global QA services.”
Corriveau said, “I am excited to step into the role of Senior Vice President of Global QA and BMM Canada Regional Executive at BMM, especially with the opportunity to lead such an outstanding team. I am focused on surpassing client expectations through our quality, velocity, reliability, innovation, and customer-centricity.”
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