Playtech Announces Two Deals

This week online casino software provider Playtech announced that it had completed two major deals which will see the company adding Mobenga AB mobile gaming technology to its portfolio, and acquiring Gala Coral as a licensee.

The Isle of Man based company will obtain the entire share capital of Mobenga AB, a Swedish company that provides mobile sports betting platforms and has an impressive client list which includes Nordicbet, PaddyPower, Skybet, Stan James, and Unibet. The deal is being paid from Playtech's cash resources.

According to a Playtech spokesman, the acquisition of the mobile technology company will be viewed as a key factor in growing Playtech's mobile business. The same spokesman said that Mobenga has developed an effective sports betting platform which is compatible on a range of mobile devices like tablets, smart phones, and supports Android, Apple iOS, and HTML. The interface will allow advanced features such as touch functionality and the ability for betting companies to stream video live.

"Mobile is delivering an increasing share of new customers to sportsbetting, with a number of major operators reporting that more than 30% of their recent sports customers are betting through mobile devices. Lifetime values of players active on mobile have been higher than those playing solely online, with a greater proportion of in-play betting and higher average bet sizes," the spokesman said.

Mobenga CEO and Founder Christian Rajter was excited about the deal, stating "I am very excited by the opportunities this deal brings. It will help us take Mobenga to the next level and gives us exposure to the widest possible group of potential licensees. It underpins the future growth of the business and we look forward to being part of the Playtech team and contributing to the development of a leading mobile capability integrated into the market's leading gaming platform."

Playtech also announced a deal with Gala Coral, a UK based gambling group which will see Playtech providing Gala Coral its platform under a licensing agreement. Gala Coral and Playtech already have an existing licensing agreement, but the new agreement strengthens the bond between the two companies, according to Playtech's CEO More Weizer.

Commenting on the new agreement, Mr. Weizer said, "The strengthening of our relationship (with Gala Coral) also sees a significant opportunity for both companies as Playtech's powerful IMS becomes the sole management and back office technology platform for a major operator, including for third party products. The ability to manage and optimise players' activities across all products has great benefits as it allows Gala Coral to address players' needs and maximise its performance at the same time. This deal recognises our platform's technological leadership and we are confident it will provide Gala Coral with the player management tools and functionality to drive its entire online business."

The deal will allow Gala Coral a full set of Playtech's gaming products as well as its IMS gaming management platform. IMS will allow player management as well as other tools to make Gala Coral's business more efficient.