Acquisitions/Merger
Visualize Group agrees to acquire iGaming testing firm eCOGRA
The Visualize Group has agreed to acquire eCOGRA, a gaming testing, inspection, certification and compliance (TICC) provider, from Hanover Investors Management LLP, the private investment firm said in a Business Wire announcement from New York and London.
eCOGRA, founded in 2003 and headquartered in London, provides compliance and certification services for iGaming customers and works with gaming software suppliers, platform operators and online gaming regulators in more than 50 jurisdictions worldwide. The company will continue under its existing leadership, with Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) Will Shuckburgh remaining in his role.
Visualize said eCOGRA is its second investment in the gaming TICC sector following its earlier closing of BMM Testlabs (“BMM”) this year. The firm said BMM and eCOGRA have complementary strengths, with BMM spanning a broader testing and certification spectrum and eCOGRA focused on the digital gaming segment. Visualize added that each company will continue to operate as an independently accredited business.
Will Shuckburgh, CEO of eCOGRA, said, “For more than two decades, eCOGRA’s mission has been to ensure that players can trust the games they play and that operators can meet the highest standards of compliance. As regulated gaming expands into new markets around the world, the demand for fast, rigorous, and reliable certification has never been greater. Partnering with Visualize gives us the resources to serve our customers better — to invest in our people, our technology, and our capacity — while continuing to operate with the independence and integrity that our accreditation partners and customers expect.”
C. C. Melvin Ike, Founder and Managing Partner of Visualize, said, “As high-conviction thematic investors, we back exceptional businesses and management teams providing mission-critical services in growing markets, and we build deep expertise in the sectors to which we commit. Building on our experience in regulated gaming, the independent testing and certification that both eCOGRA and BMM provide is fundamental to protecting players and sustaining the trust of regulators, and the two businesses bring distinct capabilities across online and land-based gaming. With eCOGRA, our intention is straightforward: to build eCOGRA into a generational business that can deliver faster, more responsive, and more innovative service to a fast-growing market that needs more high-quality service. We’re thrilled to partner with Will and the entire eCOGRA team.”
Financial terms were not disclosed. The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals and clearances. Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP and Greenberg Traurig acted as legal advisors for Visualize, while Macquarie Capital served as financial advisor for Hanover and eCOGRA, with Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP as their legal advisor.
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Deal targets regulated Poland market by combining global media buying with local SEO and compliance expertise.
Clever Advertising has taken a strategic investment stake in iGaming Nuts as it looks to expand player acquisition in Poland. The companies said the deal brings iGaming Nuts’ Polish SEO affiliate portfolio into Clever Advertising’s global multi-channel network.
Clever Advertising positions the move as a faster route into a regulated market where compliance and localization are critical, and where paid acquisition costs can move quickly. iGaming Nuts operates across several European markets, including the United Kingdom, Italy, and Spain, with Poland as its lead market.
Marcos Oliveira, COO of Clever Advertising, said: “Poland is one of Europe’s most demanding regulated markets, and iGaming Nuts is the most solid base we could build on there. They lead in local SEO, they know the rules, and they open commercial relationships that would take years to build alone. Together, we give our operator partners a compliant route into the market.”
Adam Bieliński, CEO of iGaming Nuts, added: “Working with Clever Advertising is a big step for our team and our users. We’ve built tools and content for Polish regulations and player preferences. With Clever Advertising’s infrastructure and scale behind us, we can develop our product faster, improve the user experience, and strengthen our position in legal sports betting affiliate traffic in Poland.”
The companies also said they plan to extend the partnership into a financial trading media vertical. No financial terms, stake size, or closing timeline were disclosed.
The post Clever Advertising buys strategic stake in SEO affiliate iGaming Nuts appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Deal would add a Romanian engineering base and 50 planned hires, expanding Super’s European technology footprint.
Super has agreed to acquire Crafting Technologies, a software development company based in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, as it moves to open its first technology hub in the country. The transaction is subject to customary approvals.
Super said the acquisition will establish a Romania hub alongside its existing tech hubs in Croatia, Spain, Netherlands, United Kingdom and Brazil, which it says together include more than 900 software engineers and developers.
As part of the expansion in Cluj, Super plans to open an initial 50 new positions and bring Crafting Technologies’ engineering team into the organisation.
Albert Simsensohn, Deputy CEO, Super, said: “We are confident that Romania’s mature and competitive technology ecosystem provides access to specialized engineering capabilities essential for Super’s future roadmap. Moreover, the city of Cluj-Napoca offers a vibrant environment of innovation combined with operational efficiency and proximity to our regional hubs.
“Crafting Technologies will bring a proven internal talent academy that develops engineers and upskills existing talent, strengthening our long-term capacity and supporting the execution of our technology roadmap.”
Gabriel Bota, Co-founder & CEO, Crafting Technologies, added: “Over the past 10 years, through Crafting Software and now Crafting Technologies, we have built a team focused on engineering quality, trust, and long-term partnerships. What started as a small group of friends, passionate engineers, evolved into a company delivering critical systems for high-growth businesses.
“Joining forces with Super feels like a natural next step for us. We already share a strong technical connection, and also a very similar way of thinking about ownership, speed, and building reliable technology that can scale over time.
“We’re excited about continuing to grow the Cluj technology hub together and bringing the same culture and mindset that shaped Crafting since day one.”
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Accel Entertainment Inc
Accel Entertainment Expands Louisiana Presence with Acquisition of Rice Palace Truck Stop Casino
Accel Entertainment Inc. announced that its subsidiary, Toucan Gaming LLC (Toucan), acquired the assets of Rice Palace Inc. and South Louisiana Gaming Inc., the owner and operator of Rice Palace Truck Stop Casino, a premier video poker casino and truck stop business based in Crowley, Louisiana. The transaction is consistent with Accel’s long-term focus on disciplined growth and continued strategic, accretive investments in the state. Financial details were not disclosed.
Pursuant to the terms of the agreement, Toucan acquired the Rice Palace facility, adding 50 Video Gaming Devices (VGDs) to its expanding Louisiana route operations. Toucan and Accel plan to scale the location’s capacity to 60 VGDs in the near term, representing an approximate 8% increase in its VGD count compared to the 728 Louisiana route VGDs Accel reported as of March 31, 2026. Toucan and Accel will leverage their operational expertise, game and entertainment offerings, data analytics, and promotional systems to further customer entertainment and engagement, improve operational efficiencies, and drive growth over time.
“This accretive acquisition reflects our continued momentum in Louisiana and our confidence in the long-term growth potential of this market. Rice Palace has built a strong business grounded in local relationships, around-the-clock service, authentic local dining, and operational discipline, and we’re excited to welcome them to the Toucan Gaming family. Together, we look forward to investing in this location and delivering best-in-class gaming solutions to customers across southern Louisiana,” said Andy Rubenstein, Chief Executive Officer of Accel Entertainment.
Stan Guidroz, Chief Executive Officer of Toucan Gaming, said: “With this agreement, Toucan is strengthening its scale and route footprint in our home state of Louisiana. Combined with our existing operations, this acquisition supports our strategy of disciplined expansion focused on great entertainment, operational excellence, technology deployment, and new location development.”
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