NASDAQ First North Premier listed Aspire Global Plc recently acquired GMS Entertainment Limited, owner of the B2B group Pariplay, for approx. €13.1m in cash.
The deal is to be closed during the third quarter of 2019 with positive effect on the company’s EBITDA as of 2020. For 2019, the acquisition is not expected to have any material effect on financial results.
The deal allows Aspire Global to control another part of the iGaming value chain – providing a channel to distribute and sell propriety games outside its network, in line with its M&A strategy.
About Pariplay
Led by Gili Lisani, CEO and founder, and Adrian Bailey, Managing director, Pariplay is a B2B iGaming provider operating a large content aggregating platform and producing casino content in their own game studios.
The company produces online casino games, including Dragons of the North, Lucky Vegas and Parrot’s Gold. Theses proprietary games are complemented by a diverse portfolio of more than 2,000 games from third-party providers including Microgaming, Quickspin and Evolution Gaming.
Now, some of Aspire Global’s proprietary game titles will also be accessible through the aggregator, which is increasing sales to external operators who are connected to Pariplay, such as 888 and GVC Group.
Held by GMS Entertainment, which is a private company based in Isle of Man, Pariplay holds iGaming licenses for several countries including the UK, Gibraltar, Curacao, Malta and Romania and their games are also certified for most regulated iGaming markets in Europe, generating sales of around $3.2m (with a positive net income in the first quarter of 2019). The company also has cleared an iGaming certification for New Jersey, this representing a potential growth opportunity as US operators will be gaining access to its gaming content. There, the company competes with other casinos which offer golden promo codes to let people enter their games.
Additionally, the company is also involved in responsible gaming. It has implemented policies and tools within its systems and games to provide entertainment in a socially responsible way. To this end, Pariplay has developed a system combining identity verification with age verification and geo-location services to determine whether an individual meets the minimum age requirement and is playing within a specific territory. The company has also implemented multiple responsible gaming tools to meet different regulatory standards and provides players with a self-exclusion tool that offers them an easy to use way to manage their gaming habits.
The team currently consists of around 70 gaming experts, the majority of which are based in Sofia, Bulgaria, where the main technology hub is located.
About Aspire Global
Founded in 2005 and led by Tsachi Maimon, CEO, Aspire Global offers an iGaming solution for operators and white labels, comprising a suite of services for casino and sportsbook, multilingual CRM, payments and risk control, support call center, VIP management, and acquisition optimization. The company also holds licenses in regulated markets including the UK, Denmark, Sweden and Malta.
FinSMEs
20/08/2019