Quickspin Acquired by Playtech in Multi-Million Deal

Playtech is one of the biggest online gaming providers in the online casino world, and it just keeps growing. This week, the company has announced its plans to purchase online slots developer QuickSpin for over $55 million.

The deal will kick off with an initial payment of almost $30 million to Quickspin, when Playtech purchases 100% of the company’s shares. The remaining payment will be based on Quickspin’s EBITDA in 2017 and 2018. Overall, the deal will be worth six times Quickspin’s income before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation.

Quickspin is a relatively new company in the online casino market – but the firm has been growing very quickly. Over the course of the past few years, Quickspin has developed over 20 games for real-money and play-money online casinos and, in 2015, the company generated profits of over $9 million.

By teaming up with Playtech, Quickspin can look forward to even more growth as its games will be able to reach a wider audience. Playtech has over 100 online casino partners, and Quickspin will certainly benefit from being exposed to even more prestigious operators in the gaming market.

“Quickspin is a fast-growing and leading supplier of the highest quality games to the highest quality operators, strengthening Playtech’s position as the leading platform and content provider in the industry,” says Mor Weizer, CEO of Playtech. “We look forward to working with the Quickspin team and to see the Quickspin brand continue to flourish within the Playtech family”.

This is yet another great acquisition by Playtech, and the company continues to look for new partnerships with leading games developers and operators. It will be interesting to see what the next year brings for Playtech.

 

 

New Film, ‘Broke’, Discusses Gambling Harm

Gambling addiction continues to be a major issue across New Zealand. Rates are on the rise, but problem gamblers are failing to seek help because of a stigma attached to this particular addiction. Now, a new film called Broke will premiere with the goal of communicating the message that ‘gambling harm can happen to anyone’.

The film Broke was directed by Heath Davis and stars Steve Le Marquand as Ben Kelly, a former champion footballer who has turned to gambling and is struggling to get by. The film has received plenty of praise from film critics around the world, and local responsible gambling advocates applaud Broke for its honesty in depicting gambling addiction among athletes.

It helps to bring attention to the issue and lets problem gamblers know that they are not alone. Many problem gamblers refuse to come forward and seek help because it is viewed less sympathetically than other addictions. It is important for people who have been affected by gambling harm to feel comfortable with coming forward so that they can get the help necessary to kick their addiction.

“It’s good to get it out in the open as it breaks down stigma and barriers to help-seeking,” says PGF Communications Director Andree Froude. “Gambling harm can happen to anyone, even to those we idolise. Sport players are people at the end of the day.”

A special screening of the film will be hosted by the Problem Gambling Foundation (PGF), the New Zealand Rugby League and the League 4 Life Foundation on 1 June. It will take place at 6pm at the Rialto Cinemas in Newmarket. Tickets are just $11 and $1 from each ticket sale will be donated to the League 4 Life Foundation.

 

PokerStars Sponsors E-Sports Team, Team Liquid

Esports betting is becoming a major trend in the online gaming market. Over the course of the past few years, we have seen more and more online sportsbooks offering players the chance to wager on e-sports matches and tournaments like League of Legends and StarCraft. Now, one of the world’s leading online poker operators is getting involved in the market, as PokerStars has struck up a sponsorship deal with Team Liquid.

Team Liquid is a professional esports organisation whose players engage in online gaming at the highest level, such as international tournaments. Members of Team Liquid engage in many different kinds of esports like League of Legends, DOTA, Halo, Hearthstone and CS: GO. The team has plenty of sponsors include Twitch, HTC, Hyper X and Alienware.

PokerStars will join this extensive list of sponsors in a mutually beneficial deal with Team Liquid. The first step will see several members of the team engage in online poker games that will be broadcast to their viewers via Twitch. The first members to do so will be Janne “Savjz” Mikkonen, Jeffrey “Sjow” Brusi, and Dario “TLO” Wünsch.

“I’m happy to announce that I’ll be streaming poker under the PokerStars flag,” says ‘Sjow’. “I used to play a lot before I started my eSports career and it’s a very interesting and complex game. If you want to see an old poker player relearn the game, tune in to my stream.”

In return, PokerStars will be exposed to a wider range of players. Individuals who may not normally be interested in poker will now see their favourite eSports stars engaging in the game. This will increase awareness of the PokerStars brand across a completely different kind of gaming market, and it could be the start of a new trend across the eSports market.

 

LottoNZ Considers Online Scratchcards

Around the world, more and more state lotteries are offering up online lottery sales that also provide players with the chance to play scratchcards online. Lotto NZ wants to follow suit, but the Problem Gambling Foundation has expressed some concerns.

Recently, Lotto NZ has issued a tender that calls for gaming companies to create ‘instant win games’, which will be offered through the MyLotto online platform. The company has recognised the popularity of online scratchcards, and hopes to improve revenue by offering them to MyLotto players.

Currently, there are 400 000 registered users on the platform, which will certainly yield some significant returns if this new product is introduced. Instant win games account for 15% of all LottoNZ sales, so it only seems natural to make these games available online, where players can access more conveniently.

The Problem Gambling Foundation is concerned about players being able to access scratchcards on the internet. With mobile technology become more advanced, responsible gambling advocates feel as though vulnerable players will use their smartphones or tablets to play instant win games at any time and from virtually anywhere.

“In an online environment, there is real potential for this to be quite harmful,” says a spokesperson for the foundation. “It would mean that 24/7 you’re carrying around the opportunity to gamble like this in your pocket.”

LottoNZ has addressed these concerns by stating that strict responsible gambling measures will be enacted. For example, some online lottery sites limit users to only player a certain number of instant win games a day; others offer players the chance to set limits so that they don’t spend more than they can afford on lottery tickets or scratchcards. While these seem like plausible solutions, the Problem Gambling Foundation has yet to respond.

Business Is Booming for Yggdrasil Gaming

Yggdrasil Gaming is new to the online casino market, and has experienced plenty of growth in a very short amount of time. This week, the company posted its first quarter financial results for 2016, and it seems that things are going very well for Yggdrasil.

Overall, the online slots developer saw a 519% surge in revenue up to $767 million. Bet turnover increased by 1085% to $600 000. This is one of the most successful results that we have seen for any new gaming operator. This is very encouraging for the company, and we are eager to see what comes next from Yggdrasil, based on this impressive growth.

Yggdrasil’s gaming growth has been attributed to its new deals. The company has signed a content supply deal with bet365, one of the web’s leading online casino providers, and has gone live on six different UK online gambling sites.

“Yggdrasil has kicked off 2016 with strong, mainly organic growth from existing customers and a number of exciting deals, launches and award,” says Fredrik Elmqvist. “We are already live with six operators in the UK and there will be more to follow in the coming months. It is certainly a very competitive market, and it is still early days, but early indications are encouraging.”

The company has also released 3 new games that have attracted plenty of attention from players around the world. Incinerator, Golden Fish Tank and Seasons all bring new themes and innovative gameplay features to the online casino market. It is no wonder why online gaming operators are so eager to work with Yggdrasil, as the company provides them with content that players are eager to try out. There is certainly more success in Yggdrasil’s future, and we can’t wait to see how the company grows in the coming year.

Full Tilt Now Migrated to PokerStars Platform

Full Tilt players will now be playing their favourite online poker games on PokerStars’ software. This week, the company completed its migration to the PokerStars platform, so both player pools will be combined for bigger prizes and better game selection.

All Full Tilt players who attempt to login to their accounts this week will be required to update the software. From this point on, the will be playing poker on PokerStars’ software. The lobby will look just like PokerStars and feature all of its games. Players will still be able to access Full Tilt’s Rush Poker, but it will just be a re-skinned version of PokerStars’ Zoom poker.

When players enter the games and tournaments, things will be much more familiar. The operator has decided to keep the in-game look like the original Full Tilt platform. So, players will have access to avatars, customisation options for the look of the room and the ability to play The Deal side game.

Rational Group, which owns both PokerStars and Full Tilt is exciting about the migration, as it means that the company will be able to focus on one platform instead of two. This means they can concentrate more on bringing new innovations to the one platform that will offer players newer ways to play their favourite poker games online.

 

“It will also make us more nimble as we can focus our technological innovation on one platform, rather than two, so we will be able to innovate more quickly and enter newly-regulating and existing markets swiftly,” says Rational Group CEO Rafi Ashkenazi.

Another major benefit is that there will be a wider player pool. This means that players will have a better game selection and access to large prize pools in tournaments. This is an exciting time for Rational Group, and the migration could really boost business.

Generous Holiday Giveaways from Casino.com

Casino.com is an online gaming site that always offers players the chance to cash in on amazing prizes both inside and outside of their casino games. There is always a generous promotion on at Casino.com, and currently the site is running two great holiday giveaways.

The Dubai Dreams promotion offers players the chance to win a trip to Dubai, one of the world’s most popular holiday destinations. It is a prize draw giveaway where players receive one entry for every $30 the deposit. The more players deposit, the more entries they will win, and their chances of winning will increase. Players have until 2 June to earn their entries, and the prize draw will take place the next day. The winner of the draw will win a six-night holiday to Dubai for two.

The Lucky Break promotion offers players the chance to win weekly bonuses worth up to $2000, and the opportunity to win a holiday of their choice. This is a leaderboard promotion in which players receive points every time they play games at Casino.com. There will be a new leaderboard every week, and the winner each time will receive a $2000 prize.

At the end of the promotional period (2 June), all players who took place in the leaderboard promotion will be entered into a prize draw for a holiday of their choosing. There are different holidays available to players at different loyalty levels:

–          VIP Elite players: A $10,000 holiday

–          VIP players: A $7,000 holiday

–          Bronze, Silver and Gold players: A $3,000 holiday

If you win, where you spend your prize holiday will be completely up to you! Learn more about this online casino and opt-in to the promotion here.