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BETSSON ACQUIRES SPORTS BETTING AND GAMING OPERATOR BETFIRST IN BELGIUM AND ENTERS INTO PARTNERSHIP WITH GROUPE PARTOUCHE TO LAUNCH ONLINE CASINO OFFERING ON THE BELGIAN MARKET
Betsson AB today announces the Group’s acquisition of the leading Belgian sports betting and gaming operator betFIRST for a total value of EUR 120 million, of which up to EUR 3 million is an earnout payment subject to certain conditions being met, all payable in cash. At the same time, Betsson and Groupe Partouche, the publicly listed leading French casino operator, today announce a new strategic partnership in order to offer online casino services in regulated markets. A first joint online casino offering should be launched in Belgium during 2023, subject to officially obtaining the required licenses. These two strategic initiatives are fully aligned with Betsson’s ambitions to deliver profitable growth, with a preference for growth in locally regulated markets in the long term.
Betsson has agreed to acquire all shares in the betFIRST Group, which operates a sports betting and gaming business under the brand betFIRST in Belgium. The total up-front consideration of the acquisition is EUR 117 million on a cash and debt-free basis, payable in cash. In addition, Betsson may pay up to EUR 3 million as earnout, subject to delivery on certain agreed financial targets. The initial consideration for the acquisition is equivalent to a multiple of 10.0x betFIRST’s estimated EBITDA for the financial year 2023.
Established in 2011, betFIRST is a leading B2C operator in the locally regulated online gaming market in Belgium, offering sports betting and dice games. betFIRST is a leading brand for sports betting in Belgium with a proven track record of successful customer acquisition and revenue growth. betFIRST holds a license for online sports betting and a license for online dice games in Belgium. In addition to the online business, the company also operates across approximately 450 points of sale in Belgium and also owns a gaming arcade. In the last financial year ending 31 December 2022, betFIRST recorded net gaming revenue of EUR 51.2 million and adjusted EBITDA of EUR 10.0 million.
The new partnership with leading French casino operator Groupe Partouche will combine Betsson’s expertise in the online gaming sector and Groupe Partouche’s market leadership in land-based casinos to deliver an attractive online casino offering tailored to the local market. Groupe Partouche operates land-based casinos in France and Switzerland and also holds an offline casino license in Belgium, which can be extended to an online casino license. With such a license, a full range of online casino products can be offered to the Belgian market. Subject to the required licenses being granted by the Belgian regulator, the aim is to launch the online casino offering in Belgium during 2023. Betsson and Groupe Partouche are committed to developing their new collaboration and exploring additional ways to expand the partnership.
The acquisition of betFIRST and the partnership with Groupe Partouche will provide Betsson with critical access to the competitive Belgian market, a further diversified geographical footprint and an increased share of revenue from locally regulated markets. Betsson intends to continue operating the betFIRST sports betting business as it is today while exploring potential synergies in the mid-to-long term.
Pontus Lindwall, CEO and President of Betsson AB, commented: “We are very excited about entering the Belgian market together with our partners Groupe Partouche and see a strong strategic fit with the acquisition of betFIRST. At Betsson, our growth strategy revolves around extending our presence into new markets, particularly in locally regulated or soon-to-be regulated markets. Belgium, where the online gaming market is regulated since 2011, aligns very well with this strategy. Our business model is highly scalable, and these initiatives will add revenue and strengthen our profitability over time.”
Betsson is able to finance the acquisition with existing cash from its balance sheet and within existing credit facilities.
Completion of the acquisition of betFIRST is not conditional on regulatory approvals and is expected to occur on or around July 5, 2023.
Betsson has engaged Lazard as financial advisor and Gernandt & Danielsson as principal legal advisor (together with Van Bael & Bellis and Edson Legal as legal advisors in Belgium) in connection with the acquisition.
GR8_TECH has partnered with Setanta Bet, a locally licensed online betting operator in Georgia and part of the wider Setanta Sports ecosystem. The collaboration marks another important step in GR8_TECH’s expansion across regulated markets, with Setanta Bet successfully launching the GREAT_SPORTSBOOK iFrame solution.
By joining the Champions Club—GR8_TECH’s exclusive network of ambitious operators powered by high-performance technology—Setanta Bet gains access to a sportsbook solution designed to accelerate growth, enhance player engagement, and maximize operational efficiency.
“We are delighted to welcome Setanta Bet as a partner of GR8_TECH and a proud addition to our Champions Club,” said Vardan Hakobyan, Head of Sales at GR8_TECH. “The brand has successfully created a strong connection between sports content, player engagement, and entertainment. With GREAT_SPORTSBOOK iFrame, Setanta Bet can further enhance its betting offering while preserving its unique brand identity and delivering a richer, more engaging experience for its players.”
“Setanta Bet was launched on the foundation of the region’s largest and most successful sports media, representing the most vital part of Setanta as a major brand,” said Tamar Badashvili, CEO at Setanta Bet. “It is the ideal synergy between sports media and the betting business, a model already successfully proven by leading global brands. We launched our sportsbook in partnership with GR8_TECH because their regional experience, along with their platform’s features and functionality, perfectly matched our requirements. We believe this collaboration will be mutually beneficial; not only will Setanta Bet succeed, but our vast operational experience in the industry will provide valuable feedback to help further develop the GR8_TECH platform.”
GREAT_SPORTSBOOK iFrame provides Setanta Bet with a scalable, high-performance sportsbook solution designed for rapid deployment and local-market adaptability. The solution delivers more than 180,000 monthly events across 50+ sports and esports disciplines, supported by 24/7 live betting coverage, AI-powered recommendations, embedded CRM capabilities, and extensive customization options.
The solution also includes a comprehensive suite of engagement and revenue optimization tools, including cashout, multi-bets, odds personalization, margin personalization, geo-targeted content, customizable widgets, and a fully mobile-first experience designed to meet the expectations of modern players.
Get in touch with GR8_TECH to learn how the GREAT_SPORTSBOOK iFrame can help launch, upgrade, or scale your iGaming business.
GR8_TECH. Platform for Champions
GR8_TECH is an award-winning provider, delivering high-performance sportsbook and iGaming solutions that empower operators to lead and win in competitive markets. GR8_TECH’s comprehensive portfolio includes the GREAT_TURNKEY and GREAT_CRYPTO TURNKEY solutions, GREAT_SPORTSBOOK, and GREAT_CASINO AGGREGATION.
With a geo-specific approach to solutions, a focus on practical innovations, and an operator-first mindset, GR8_TECH helps its clients achieve measurable results in their target markets quickly and efficiently. Trusted by top operators worldwide, GR8_TECH has over 100 successful cases and earned multiple recognitions, including the title of Platform Provider of the Year by SBC Awards 2025.
The post Setanta Bet Joins GR8_TECH’s Champions Club with GREAT_SPORTSBOOK iFrame appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
NuxGame has been named Casino Platform of the Year at the inaugural iGaming News Awards, the first edition of the awards programme run by industry publication iGaming News.
The Casino Platform of the Year category recognises the platform technology operators use to build and run their casino businesses — the core system behind day-to-day operation rather than any single feature or campaign. It is a meaningful marker for a B2B provider since it points to the technology operators actually rely on. Winning the category in the programme’s first year adds another point of industry acknowledgement for the NuxGame online casino software.
The award caps a strong year for the platform, one shaped by steady work on the product itself. NuxGame added new player-engagement tools such as Achievements, Spin Wheel, and Rakeback, expanded its game aggregator with thousands more titles, and opened up new markets by launching its Sweepstakes and Telegram products and gaining a Class II B2B licence in Romania.
The category win follows other recent recognition for the platform, such as Best Platform Provider at the 2025 SiGMA Eurasia Awards and Best Innovation in iGaming Technology at the 2025 European iGaming Excellence Awards. Together they create a steady awards record for the technology behind the company’s casino offering rather than for a single product or campaign.
“A casino platform is the part of the business an operator depends on every day, so this is the recognition that means the most to us,” said Daniel Heywood, CEO at NuxGame. “We’ve spent years keeping the platform stable, straightforward to scale, and simple to run day to day. And we work just as hard on the support quality behind it. Seeing that commitment recognised by the iGaming News Awards is a proud moment for the whole team.”
NuxGame says its direction for 2026 is to keep the platform dependable and easy to run. The company will also keep expanding the ecosystem around the platform so operators can add proven, pre-integrated partners as they scale rather than vetting and connecting each one on their own. The company reads the win as confirmation that the fundamentals it has invested in remain important for operators — and as a reason to keep strengthening them.
About NuxGame
NuxGame is a B2B iGaming software platform provider that has been helping online casino and sportsbook operators launch and grow their projects for more than 7 years. Founded in 2018, the company now supports more than 100 operators worldwide. What began as a platform provider only has developed into a unified ecosystem. Alongside its own flexible casino platform, turnkey casino and sportsbook solutions, sweepstakes-ready infrastructure, game aggregation and API integrations, NuxGame connects operators to a vetted network of proven partners, spanning CRM, payments, orchestration, aggregation, and traffic. All of it is backed by 24/7 support.
The post NuxGame Wins Casino Platform of the Year at the iGaming News Awards appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
GR8_TECH has partnered with Setanta Bet, a locally licensed online betting operator in Georgia and part of the wider Setanta Sports ecosystem. The collaboration marks another important step in GR8_TECH’s expansion across regulated markets, with Setanta Bet successfully launching the GREAT_SPORTSBOOK iFrame solution.
By joining the Champions Club—GR8_TECH’s exclusive network of ambitious operators powered by high-performance technology—Setanta Bet gains access to a sportsbook solution designed to accelerate growth, enhance player engagement, and maximize operational efficiency.
“We are delighted to welcome Setanta Bet as a partner of GR8_TECH and a proud addition to our Champions Club,” said Vardan Hakobyan, Head of Sales at GR8_TECH. “The brand has successfully created a strong connection between sports content, player engagement, and entertainment. With GREAT_SPORTSBOOK iFrame, Setanta Bet can further enhance its betting offering while preserving its unique brand identity and delivering a richer, more engaging experience for its players.”
“Setanta Bet was launched on the foundation of the region’s largest and most successful sports media, representing the most vital part of Setanta as a major brand,” said Tamar Badashvili, CEO at Setanta Bet. “It is the ideal synergy between sports media and the betting business, a model already successfully proven by leading global brands. We launched our sportsbook in partnership with GR8_TECH because their regional experience, along with their platform’s features and functionality, perfectly matched our requirements. We believe this collaboration will be mutually beneficial; not only will Setanta Bet succeed, but our vast operational experience in the industry will provide valuable feedback to help further develop the GR8_TECH platform.”
GREAT_SPORTSBOOK iFrame provides Setanta Bet with a scalable, high-performance sportsbook solution designed for rapid deployment and local-market adaptability. The solution delivers more than 180,000 monthly events across 50+ sports and esports disciplines, supported by 24/7 live betting coverage, AI-powered recommendations, embedded CRM capabilities, and extensive customization options.
The solution also includes a comprehensive suite of engagement and revenue optimization tools, including cashout, multi-bets, odds personalization, margin personalization, geo-targeted content, customizable widgets, and a fully mobile-first experience designed to meet the expectations of modern players.
Get in touch with GR8_TECH to learn how the GREAT_SPORTSBOOK iFrame can help launch, upgrade, or scale your iGaming business.
GR8_TECH. Platform for Champions
GR8_TECH is an award-winning provider, delivering high-performance sportsbook and iGaming solutions that empower operators to lead and win in competitive markets. GR8_TECH’s comprehensive portfolio includes the GREAT_TURNKEY and GREAT_CRYPTO TURNKEY solutions, GREAT_SPORTSBOOK, and GREAT_CASINO AGGREGATION.
With a geo-specific approach to solutions, a focus on practical innovations, and an operator-first mindset, GR8_TECH helps its clients achieve measurable results in their target markets quickly and efficiently. Trusted by top operators worldwide, GR8_TECH has over 100 successful cases and earned multiple recognitions, including the title of Platform Provider of the Year by SBC Awards 2025.
The post Setanta Bet Joins GR8_TECH’s Champions Club with GREAT_SPORTSBOOK iFrame appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
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