Looking for shifts in the iGaming arena? We look at 3 major deals that will affect casino gaming 2022 – all of them positive future moves! (Photo by Tezos on Unsplash)
It is just 1 day until the clock ticks to midnight, and the year 2021 becomes history. What a history it has too. We saw some mega deals that have affected the landscape of online casino gaming and there are more in the wind waiting to be settled in 2022 – namely the Aristocrat Leisure takeover of Playtech – the pioneers of the first successful pooled jackpot network online Age of the Gods. Let’s take a look back at some of the mergers, takeovers, and buyouts of 2021.
Evolution Takes Control of BTG and the rights to Video Slot Megaways Tech! (€ 220 million)
We have always appreciated how cunning Evolution’s business acquisitions have been. There’s always a purpose, so when the firm confirmed its purchase of BTG, we were not surprised. It was a € 220 million deal that not only gave Evolution an additional brand name but also the rights to the Megaways feature to which every other firm using this tech must pay BTG for the privilege.
Although Evolution’s primary business model focused on live dealer gaming, the brand already made hints that it would get involved in the RNG games with its First-Person titles. Plus, the firm was already accustomed to buyouts as it purchased Ezugi to get an early foot in the door of the US market where Ezugi were already operating. All that was next to widen its iGaming scope was to find a suitable slot and RNG game developer to purchase.
NetEnt was the natural choice as it was already floated on the same NASDAQ Stockholm exchange, and it also owned the prestigious Red Tiger Gaming. It was 2 for the price of 1 or buy 1 brand and get 1 free. OK maybe not, but whichever way you look at it, you have to hand it to Evolution because the company is known for being one of the best in live dealer gaming then went ahead to purchase arguably 2 of the best slot developers in the business in a single swing of the sword back in 2020. The company didn’t want to stop there either. Evolution went a step further and added BTG to the mix. Currently, the brand names under Evolution are Ezugi, NetEnt, Red Tiger Gaming (RTG), and Big Time Gaming (BTG).
The Story of the Eventual William Hill Casinos Takeover by 888 Holdings (€ 2.6 billion)
This is a story that travels across to the US and back over to Gibraltar, which eventually saw 888 Holdings, a UK London Stock Exchange firm, acquire William Hill’s European assets. It all began with Eldorado Resorts merging with Caesars Entertainment Corporation in a deal worth €15 billion. The company then became Caesars Entertainment Inc, and with the pandemic hitting hard, decision-makers involved in the new merger began to execute a new strategy – (a) expand its sports betting and online casino presence in the US and (b) offload all non-US assets.
To execute plan A, Caesars Entertainment Inc bid for William Hill, to which shareholders agreed. The reason for that William purchase was to gain control of its dominant and well-regarded US brand name. Hence in line with the sale of land-based casino operations, companies, and holdings outside of the US, Caesars Entertainment Inc places all William Hill’s European assets up for auction. It was at this point that 888 Holdings came in with its €2.6 billion big to take over William Hill.
Playtech PLC Changing Hands – Aristocrat Leisure (€ 3.1 billion)
With the Aristocrat Leisure-Playtech PLC takeover deal, we have seen some twists and turns from a deal that looked fairly straightforward initially. There seems to be no doubt in anyone’s mind that Aristocrat is the best suitor or interested party to take control of UK firm Playtech PLC. That’s mostly because we all know Aristocrat has an excellent reputation that is already within the realms of gambling, casinos, and sports betting. However, there are other parties looking to push in on the deal.
Gopher Investments from Hong Kong were the first to try to hijack the Aristocrat bid, but soon withdrew that offer. Now there are rumours a Chinese investor, Hao Liu, is looking to move on the Playtech deal. It seems the interest in Playtech from the Far East is huge, and why not? The iGaming industry is one of the most lucrative businesses to get involved in. Some say she is just making a good investment, while others say she is opening a backdoor to make a move for Playtech.
Whatever happens, from what we have seen so far Aristocrat Leisure seems like the most obvious suitor for one key reason – the company is already deeply involved within the casino industry, so what better than to have a company that knows gambling to take over a gambling company.
When will the Playtech Takeover be Confirmed? Right now, the shareholder vote is lined up for mid-January. That’s just 2 weeks away and we feel it would be very difficult for any firm to come in and hijack the deal from this point. Hence we are confident that in 2022, the Playtech casino games developer and its Age of the Gods jackpot network as well as its army of slots, virtual tables, bingo, arcade, sports, and live casino will all be in the hands of Aristocrat come end of January 2022.
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