Canada
Lottery.com, a Leading Platform to Play the Lottery Online, Enters into Definitive Agreement with Trident Acquisitions Corp. to Become Publicly Traded
Trident Acquisitions Corp. , a leading online platform to play the lottery online or from a mobile device, have entered into a definitive agreement for a business combination that would result in Lottery.com becoming a publicly listed company.
Founded in 2015, Lottery.com empowers users to play the lottery from their phone and on the go. It offers official state-sanctioned lottery games, like Powerball, Mega Millions and state games where permissible. Lottery.com is also the world’s largest provider of lottery data to over 400 digital publishers, including hundreds of digital newspapers, television and news sites, and major digital publishers such as Google, Verizon/Yahoo and Amazon’s Alexa devices.
Lottery.com has been a pioneer in the lottery industry, working closely with state regulators to advance the industry into the digital age. Through its online platform, Lottery.com provides official lottery games and enhanced regulatory capabilities by developing innovative blockchain technology, while also capturing untapped market share, including digitally native players.
With the expected proceeds to be received by Lottery.com upon the closing of the transaction, Lottery.com would be well-positioned to accelerate its revenue growth through further expansion in its existing markets and into new high-growth markets both domestically and internationally.
Lottery.com Investment Highlights
- Potential to Significantly Expand Global Market Share: Leveraging its successful playbook in the U.S., Lottery.com intends to become a global marketplace for legally available lottery games to consumers across the world. At $430 billion of global lottery sales with only 4% online penetration, this is a large market opportunity that is expected to shift to transact online during the next decade.
- Innovative Ecommerce Platform Bringing an Outdated Industry into the Digital Age: Lottery.com has developed a world-class safe and secure mobile lottery platform and app leveraging blockchain technology to maintain an accurate ledger that provides users the ability to play official lottery games and other games of chance directly from their phone. Lottery.com has benefited from a customer acquisition cost of $4.01, with those users producing an average of $30.90 of gross revenue in their first year.
- Favorable Macro Dynamics Driving Consumers Online: Betting and gambling industries have begun successfully transitioning to online platforms as pandemic-related changes in consumer behavior have accelerated online and digital adoption. In addition, millennials are increasingly participating in games of chance, including the lottery.
- Easing Regulatory Environment Propelling Market Growth: Many states and international governments have been easing restrictions on lottery games in an effort to increase ticket sales and revenue contribution in the form of tax as more and more gaming companies collaborate on lobbying efforts.
- Poised for Expansion: From 2016 to 2020, Lottery.com grew gross revenue at a compounded annual growth rate of 322%, and forecasts gross revenue equal to approximately $71 million in 2021, $280 million in 2022 and $571 million in 2023. Lottery.com is currently operating in 11 states across the U.S. and has plans to cover 34 states by the end of 2023. Lottery.com looks forward to announcing upcoming partnerships with significant room to expand into other countries, along with opportunities to grow deeper within its current footprint.
- Large and Growing Player Pool for Cross Selling Additional Games: With over 7.5 million visitors in 2020, the Lottery.com platform is capable of distributing a range of wagering and games of chance across large and growing national and international markets.
“Lottery.com’s innovative platform has already made significant progress bringing the lottery industry into the digital age and continuing to expand its markets both domestically and internationally,” said Vadim Komissarov, CEO of Trident. “With a track record of substantial growth and user base expansion in a relatively short period of time, we are confident that Lottery.com has the ability to cement its place as a leading online platform to both play the lottery and to introduce additional wagering and games of chance worldwide. We believe this transaction will allow Lottery.com to be on a path to reach its true growth potential, and we look forward to working with the team as we introduce their compelling story to the public markets.”
Co-founder and CEO of Lottery.com, Tony DiMatteo, commented: “Lottery.com is innovating a legacy industry with ground-breaking technologies poised to capitalize on the large population of active internet and smartphone users in the U.S. and throughout the world. Over the past several months, we have made significant progress, launching our app in the Google Play Store and expanding domestically into Colorado and internationally through announced partnership plans in Turkey and Ukraine. We believe this transaction will further enhance our ability to grow into new markets as consumers are now, more than ever, engaging with digital and online platforms. The team at Trident shares our vision of growing into a global marketplace for legally available lottery games, and other games of chance, to consumers across the world and we firmly believe this partnership will accelerate our growth.”
Lottery.com is expected to continue to be supported by a strong advisory board and notable investors within the venture capital, gaming and entertainment industries, including:
- Jason Robins, CEO of DraftKings (Nasdaq: DKNG)
- Peter Diamandis, Chairman of XPRIZE Foundation
- Ben Narasin, Venture Partner of NEA
- Paraag Marathe, Enterprises President and EVP of Football Operations
- Matthew Le Merle, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Fifth Era and Keiretsu Capital
- Jamie Gold, The Poker Philanthropist
“We were early investors into Lottery.com because we recognized the commitment to win in Tony and Matt, and the opportunity Lottery.com has to become the trusted brand in the space,” said San Francisco 49ers Enterprises President and EVP of Football Operations Paraag Marathe, “I am excited for the next phase of the business, and believe the future is bright for Lottery.com.”
Transaction Terms
The combined company will have an estimated post-business combination enterprise value of approximately $526 million.
The net proceeds raised from the business combination will be used to support Lottery.com’s working capital and global platform expansion.
The proposed business combination contemplates that Lottery.com’s stockholders will roll 100% of their equity into the combined company, with no minimum cash requirement to close the business combination.
Upon completion of the transaction, the combined company will be trademarked Lottery.com and its common stock is expected to remain listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the new ticker symbol “LTRY.”
For a summary of the material terms of the proposed transaction, please see Trident’s Current Report on Form 8-K to be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) in connection with the announcement of the proposed business combination. An investor presentation will be published at a later date.
Advisors
White & Case LLP is serving as legal advisor to Lottery.com. B. Riley Securities and Chardan are acting as co-capital markets advisors and financial advisors, and Loeb & Loeb is acting as legal advisor to Trident.
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Canada
IAGR announces Toronto as host city for 2025 conference
Hot on the heels of its most attended conference in history, the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) is excited to announce that its 2025 conference will take place in Toronto, Canada, from October 20 to 23, 2025.
The event will be held in partnership with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) at the Westin Harbour Castle, offering stunning waterfront views and a premier, downtown Toronto location.
‘Fresh off the success of our Rome conference, we’re thrilled to continue the momentum with next year’s event in Toronto,’ said Ben Haden, IAGR President.
‘The IAGR 2025 conference promises to be another unparalleled opportunity for our global community to come together, collaborate and shape the future of gaming regulation. We’re looking forward to working with AGCO to bring it all together.’
AGCO CEO and Registrar Dr. Karin Schnarr, added, ‘We’re excited to welcome IAGR and its members to Toronto. This partnership provides a great opportunity to share Ontario’s innovative regulatory practices and foster meaningful discussions that drive positive change in the industry.’
Stay tuned for registration details early next year.
Bombee Global Entertainment Ltd
ESE Entertainment Completes Acquisition of Gaming Production Company, Bombee Americas
ESE Entertainment Inc., a gaming company that provides a range of services to leading video game developers and publishers, has announced that it has acquired Bombee Global Entertainment Ltd. (Bombee Americas), the North American arm of Bombee Event Production AB, (Bombee), a global production company specialized in live production, special effects, broadcast, and event management for the gaming sector.
Bombee has successfully collaborated with ESE to bring its premier event production services and world class customer service to North America and beyond. The North American arm of Bombee, Bombee Americas, will continue to grow and scale in this new organizational structure under ESE, while maintaining its entire team and global support.
Konrad Wasiela, CEO of ESE, said: “Today marks the next stage of ESE—a 2.0 version of our company. With the acquisition of Bombee Americas, we are not only solidifying our presence in North America but also paving the way for growth and innovation in the gaming industry. This is a major step, positioning us to deliver even greater value to our partners and elevate the gaming experience for our clients globally. We’re thrilled about the opportunities ahead and the exceptional talent joining our team.”
Transaction Terms
The Acquisition was completed by way of a share purchase agreement (the SPA) among the Company, Bombee Americas, and the shareholders of Bombee Americas (the Vendors). Pursuant to the SPA, ESE acquired all of the outstanding shares of Bombee Americas in exchange for: (i) $750,000 in cash paid on closing, (ii) $375,000 in cash to be paid six (6) months following closing, subject to customary adjustments based on the working capital of Bombee Americas on closing, (iii) $375,000 in cash to be paid twelve (12) months following closing, and (iv) 30,000,000 common shares of ESE (the Consideration Shares), issued at a deemed issue price of $0.10 per share.
In connection with the Acquisition, the founders of Bombee Americas have signed three-year service agreements and will continue to run the business following the closing, along with the rest of the personnel of Bombee Americas who will remain in place, ensuring a smooth transition of operations. As part of the Acquisition, the Company has acquired the liabilities of Bombee Americas, mainly consisting of customary current obligations incurred in the ordinary course of business for Bombee Americas, which are not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s operations or financial position.
No finder’s fees were paid or payable in conjunction with the Acquisition.
The Acquisition was an arm’s length transaction within the meaning of the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange (the Exchange) and constituted an “Expedited Acquisition” in accordance with Exchange Policy 5.3 – Acquisitions and Dispositions of Non-Cash Assets. The Acquisition remains subject to the final approval of the Exchange.
Canada
Suspected Digital Fraud Coming from Canada Up Nearly 11% Since H1 2023, Reveals New TransUnion Analysis
In the first half (H1) of 2024, Canada saw a significant increase in suspected Digital Fraud attempts, with nearly 5.74% of all attempted digital transactions where the consumer was located in Canada involving suspected Digital Fraud, revealed a new TransUnion® (NYSE: TRU) analysis. This is nearly an 11% year-over-year (YoY) rate increase from H1 2023, and TransUnion also documented an 11% increase in the volume of suspected Digital Fraud from Canada during this period, despite a less than a one percent (0.7%) YoY increase in the volume of transactions.
According to a recent TransUnion survey,1 more than half (54%) of Canadians said they were recently targeted by email, phone call or text message fraud attempts. Phishing was the most common scheme type (45%), followed by smishing (42%) and vishing (39%).
The increasing use of digital transactions, combined with rising suspected Digital Fraud attempts are also impacting businesses as they potentially face revenue losses and increased operational costs due to fraud. According to a TransUnion business survey for the H2 2024 Update to the State of Omnichannel Fraud report, 200 Canadian business leaders said their companies lost approximately 6% of equivalent revenue – representing $78 billion – over the past year due to fraud. The most prominent causes of fraud loss cited by them were:
- Scam/Authorized fraud (31%): Dishonest scheme intended to trick a person into giving up something of value (e.g., account access, money, information)
- Account takeover (19%): Unauthorized individuals taking over someone’s online account (e.g., bank, social media, email) without their permission
- Synthetic identity fraud (18%): Use of a combination of personal information to fabricate a person or entity to commit a dishonest act for financial or personal gain
TransUnion also found that suspected Digital Fraud attempts – where the consumer was transacting in Canada and targeted businesses globally – increased on average by 10.5% YoY in H1 2024 compared to H1 2023 and impacted all industries.
Top Three Industries Globally with Highest Rate of Suspected Digital Fraud Attempts Coming from Canada in H1 2024
- Gambling (online sports betting, poker, etc.) – 9.6%
- Retail – 9.2%
- Government – 7.7%
Top Three Industries Globally with Highest YoY Increase (H1 2024 vs H1 2023) in the Rate of Suspected Digital Fraud Attempts Coming from Canada
- Logistics – 172.9%
- Gambling – 79.3%
- Video gaming – 67.8%
“Protecting customers and their businesses from fraud is essential to enabling safe and tailored consumer experiences. These findings reveal that despite the good-faith efforts that are being undertaken by companies to identify and prevent fraud to date, fraudsters continue to evolve and it’s vital that fraud prevention methods keep up with the changing times,” said Patrick Boudreau, head of identity management and fraud solutions at TransUnion Canada.
“Businesses that aren’t already doing so should ensure that they are taking advantage of fraud prevention technologies such as identity verification, IP intelligence, device reputation and synthetic identity detection as critical components of their fraud prevention programs,” he added.
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