Oceania

FTSE-listed Playtech Plc continues its industry M&A strategy confirming the acquisition of specialist ‘soft games’ developer Eyecon for a maximum consideration of £50 million. Playtech will pay an upfront cash fee of £25 million for its acquisition of Brisbane-based Eyecon assets. The technology firm has added a further £25 million in performance-based targets once the initial acquisition is complete. Detailing …

A successful Spring Racing Carnival has seen Australia ASX-listed betting and fantasy sports operator TopBetta Holdings (TopBetta) report corporate wagering of AUS $14.5 million (£8.5 million) up 21% quarter on quarter.  Issuing a corporate update, TopBetta revealed that the company had seen an all-time 61% high in active player numbers during Q4 2016 (period ending 31 December). TopBetta governance pointed …

Australian gambling giant Tabcorp Holdings has labelled Sun Bets, its strategic joint-venture with News UK, as the biggest international commercial initiative undertaken in the firm’s history. Officially launched last August, the Sun Bets brand aims to compete against UK legacy operators within the ultra-saturated UK online betting sector, a marketplace estimated to be three times the size of Tabcorp’s Australian …

Novak Djokovic’s surprise five-set defeat to Denis Istomin in the second round of the Australian Open has opened the door for Andy Murray to claim a first title in Melbourne. The five-time beaten finalist and world number one is now odds on with the bookmakers to lift the trophy in the Rod Laver Arena on 29 January. However, it is …

Ahead of the GamCrowd Pitch ICE competition for start-ups at ICE next month we got to thinking about crowdfunding in igaming.  Companies from the world of igaming such as Football Index and Premier Punt have run successful campaigns in the past year. In fact, both of these overfunded on Seedrs. With this avenue for generating capital becoming ever more popular …

Seeking to expand its corporate presence within the Australian online betting sector, William Hill will implement a multi-brand strategy for the saturated market by reviving dormant brand Centrebet (Centrebet.com). The FTSE-listed bookmaker had acquired the Centrebet brand through its £450 million acquisition of online competitor Sportingbet’s ‘regulated market’ assets in 2013.   The move to revive Centrebet will likely surprise …

Kevin Pietersen has admitted that he is not surprised by Cricket Australia’s (CA) claim that its emerging players are being targeted by corrupt foreign bookmakers via social media. CA’s Head of Integrity Iain Roy confirmed that players on the verge of squads for the national team and Big Bash League (BBL) are being targeted via tools such as Twitter, Instagram and …

The Head of Integrity for Cricket Australia has confirmed that foreign bookmakers are approaching emerging Australian cricketers on social media, seeking information on squads and playing conditions. Iain Roy confirmed that players on the verge of making it to national squads and the Big Bash League (BBL) are being targeted by ‘pitch-siders’ via tools such as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Roy …

In another of our end of year roundups we spoke to Ari Lewski, Executive Director at Digital Sports Tech.  Clearly not one to believe in patience being a virtue, Digital Sports Tech only launched in 2016 but has already entered Australia and the UK, whilst it has ambitious, and advanced, plans for global expansion in the new year. The company …

Digital Sports Tech has agreed a deal with TopSport to provide the Australian operator with its unique player proposition betting offering, Player Props. TopSport will become the third operator in Australia after MadBookie and Ladbrokes Australia to launch Player Props from Digital Sports Tech, which enables customers to customise and create their own bets based on player performance across a …