Online gambling companies start the new year with a bang

Getting 2018 off to a fast start are reports that Better Collective and Blueprint Gaming have both secured acquisition deals .

Online gambling games developer Blueprint’s acquisition of omni-channel gaming provider Games Warehouse from the Harbour Group is being hailed as a major boost for the UK developer’s operations.

Games Warehouse is based in Derby, England, where it develops innovative content for the global gambling market across online, mobile and retail channels.

Popular titles, including Wild Bandits, Birdz and Gold Strike, are already live across numerous websites and retail outlets of some of the leading operators.

Staff members will continue to operate out of its existing office, where both the i-gaming and Skill With Prize (SWP) machine teams will support Blueprint’s development plans, according to a statement from Blueprint Tuesday.

Matt Cole, managing director of Blueprint Gaming, said: “We are very pleased to welcome the Games Warehouse team to Blueprint Gaming. They will support our growth by continuing to develop creative games as well as back Blueprint’s development efforts.

“We are confident that the fit will work very well and we look forward to creating some innovative games together.”

Brandon Bezzant of Harbour Group added: “Games Warehouse first created the SWP market and more recently successfully evolved into a standalone games developer for online and mobile. We are sure that as a part of Blueprint Gaming and the Gauselmann Group, the team can go from strength to strength.”

The consideration on the acquisition has not been disclosed.

Bookmaker information and digital platform developer Better Collective has maintained its momentum into the new year with the acquisition of Polish affiliate marketing and information company Goal.pl Group – its eighth major deal in the past twelve months.

In a statement Tuesday announcing the agreement, Better Collective notes that the deal helps further Better Collective’s long term strategy of expanding its presence within regulated markets.

“Goal.pl was an attractive prospect thanks to its alignment with Better Collective’s core competencies relating to sports betting,” the announcement explains. “Founded in 2002, the Goal.pl Group consists of over 15 domains that attract over a million visitors per month thanks to its engaging approach to sports content.

Run by CEO, and sports journalist, Cezary Brzuzy, the Goal.pl group’s assets are all built around sports journalism and sports content. Its biggest site, goal.pl with domains including PrimeraDivision.pl and seriea.pl, has become one of Poland’s biggest and most trusted sources for European football news.

Another major site in the Goal.pl Group’s inventory includes wislakrakow.com, which is the biggest news site for fans of the top tier football team Wisła Krakow.

As part of the deal, Brzuzy will remain on board with his editorial team, while working in close co-operation with Better Collective’s office in Copenhagen.

Michal Kopec, head of M&A at Better Collective commented: “We see a lot of potential in the sports betting sector in Poland, and we are confident that with the 2018 World Cup around the corner, and new operators applying for Polish sport betting licences, we will be able to drive this business forward.

“Goal.pl Group’s previous owner has done a great job in developing their network, and we are keen to add our own expertise to bring the sites to the next level.”

Brzuzy added: “We have decided to sell our assets to Better Collective because we believe that together we will be able to further develop the websites belonging to Goal.pl Group.”

The consideration paid for the acquisition was not disclosed.