Canada

Metaverse Pioneer Infinite Reality, Inc. to Acquire Entertainment Conglomerate ReKTGlobal In Landmark Half Billion Dollar Transaction

Published

2 years ago

April 14, 2022

Infinite Realty, Inc. (iR), the Metaverse innovation and entertainment company born out of the powerful merger of social ecommerce platform Display Social, leading entertainment production company Thunder Studios, and innovative Metaverse builder Infinite Metaverse, announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement to acquire esports and entertainment conglomerate ReKTGlobal, Inc., in a $470 million all-stock deal, based on an equity valuation for iR of $2 billion, for a combined post-close valuation of $2.47 billion. Completion of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including ReKTGlobal shareholder approval, as well as regulatory and other approvals.

Founded in 2017 by industry veterans Dave Bialek and Amish Shah, ReKTGlobal has focused on helping endemic and non-endemic brands authentically activate within the gaming and esports industries. With its proven and experienced leadership team, ReKTGlobal is uniquely positioned to help brands engage the esports and creator markets through services including content creation, paid media, marketing, influencer activation, fan relationship building and monetization, and more. This acquisition aims to consolidate ReKT’s entertainment and esports business into Infinite Reality’s already impressive offering of creative tools covering social, gaming, virtual and remote production, NFT minting, content, and Metaverse creation.

As part of the deal, Infinite Reality will integrate ReKT’s four key business divisions, which include esports franchises, marketing and partnership services, talent management, and technology products. Infinite Reality’s comprehensive vision is bolstered by ReKt’s previous acquisitions of content creation and marketing company Greenlit Content; renowned digital media agency Fearless Media; fan engagement and monetization platform FullCube, and digital talent management company TalentX Entertainment. Additionally, ReKTGlobal stands at the forefront of competitive global esports, thanks to its ownership of League of Legends LEC champions Team Rogue and Call of Duty League’s London Royal Ravens. ReKTGlobal currently has offices in New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Charlotte, London, and Berlin. Investors in ReKTGlobal include the band Imagine Dragons, Nick Gross, son of billionaire investor Bill Gross, DJ Steve Aoki, and Summit Partners, to name a few.

“This acquisition is another step in our journey towards becoming the leading Metaverse Entertainment company in the world,” said Infinite Reality CEO John Acunto. “The synergies across our combined business units from content creation to Web3 entertainment to APIs and more are awe inspiring. We look forward to working with ReKTGlobal’s senior leadership to integrate our valuable combined assets and accelerate Infinite Reality’s growth.”

“We are extremely excited to announce this acquisition to all of our investors, employees, and clients, as well as all Rogue and Royal Raven fans around the world,” said Amish Shah, ReKTGlobal Founder and Chairman. “Our journey does not end today. We are beginning the next chapter in our evolution into the Metaverse. The explosive combination of our shared collective assets together creates a dominant, unstoppable force in the marketplace.”

By integrating the two companies’ robust assets, Infinite Reality further establishes its place at the forefront of creator empowerment and Metaverse opportunities.

“We believe that the future of business, entertainment, socializing, and learning will be conducted in digital environments and that iR is the company that will bring it all to life,” said ReKTGlobal co-founder and CEO Dave Bialek. “We will employ the incredible 150,000 square foot production facilities at Thunder Studios to create the digital twins of our gaming and creator brands, as well as the many businesses, municipalities, and brands who also wish to take the transformative step. With many thanks to John Acunto and Rodric David and the many brilliant and creative minds at iR who recognized the synergies between our companies and quickly and innovatively snapped the pieces together.”

Infinite Reality previously announced it entered into a definitive merger agreement with NYSE-listed Universal Security Instruments, Inc. (NYSE: UUU) and secured a Standby Equity Purchase Agreement with Yorkville Advisors Global, LP for up to $200 million upon completion of the merger with Universal Security Instruments. Completion of the announced merger with Universal Security Instruments remains subject to approval by shareholders of both Infinite Reality and Universal, as well as clearance by the Securities and Exchange Commission and NYSE stock exchange listing.

Cowen is serving as exclusive financial advisor to ReKTGlobal and O’Melveny is serving as legal counsel to ReKTGlobal.

Canada

Play’n GO announces partnership with Canadian operator Loto-Québec

Published

3 days ago

May 16, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

play’n-go-announces-partnership-with-canadian-operator-loto-quebec

Play’n GO, the world’s leading casino entertainment provider, has today announced a partnership with Canadian operator Loto-Québec, launching the Swedish gaming giant’s games into another Canadian province.

Already active in another Canadian province , this partnership sees Play’n GO’s content available in the province of Québec exclusively with Loto-Québec, a state-owned corporation, where online players now have access to titles such as Tome of Madness.

Magnus Olsson, Chief Commercial Officer, Play’n GO said: “At Play’n GO, we have always been clear in our vision to be active in every regulated market in the world, and this partnership with Loto-Québec is the next step on that journey.

“Our past success in Canada gives us confidence that players in Québec will enjoy the best Play’n GO content, and we look forward to many years of success with Loto-Québec in the province.”

Stéphane Martel, Head of Product and Innovation at Loto-Québec added: “As the sole iGaming operator in Québec, we pride ourselves on offering titles that truly add value to our platform, lotoquebec.com. We are happy to bring Play’n GO games to our players.”

Canada

Court Decision Upholds iGaming Ontario’s Model

Published

4 days ago

May 15, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

court-decision-upholds-igaming-ontario’s-model

iGaming Ontario has welcomed the decision of the Ontario Superior Court, which found that iGaming Ontario’s model is consistent with the Criminal Code and that iGaming Ontario is conducting and managing igaming in the province.

“We have always been confident in our model and are pleased that the court has ruled in our favour, and that Ontarians can continue to play with confidence in our regulated igaming market,” said Martha Otton, Executive Director of iGaming Ontario.

“Ontario’s model meets the requirements and contributes to the public good by protecting players, their data and their funds, while helping to fund priority public services in Ontario, and bringing well-paid, high-tech jobs and economic development to Ontario,” Otton added.

In dismissing the application brought forward by the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (MCK), the Superior Court found that iGaming Ontario is the “operating mind” behind Ontario’s competitive igaming market in accordance with the conduct and manage requirements of the Criminal Code.

iGaming Ontario will continue to conduct and manage igaming as it has since the launch of the regulated market on April 4, 2022.

Bragg Gaming Group

Bragg Gaming Appoints Renowned iGaming Executive Neill Whyte as Chief Commercial Officer

Published

1 week ago

May 10, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

bragg-gaming-appoints-renowned-igaming-executive-neill-whyte-as-chief-commercial-officer

Bragg Gaming Group, a global iGaming technology and content provider, announced that Neill Whyte has been appointed as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), effective 1st May 2024, establishing a new global commercial structure at the Company and bolstering its leadership team.

Whyte brings over 18 years of experience in the iGaming sector, most recently in the role of Chief Commercial Officer at Digital Gaming Corporation’s (DGC), B2B iGaming Division. After joining DGC in early 2020, he was responsible for the commercially successful launch and growth of its content distribution business in the US.

Prior to joining DGC, Whyte held multiple positions in the gaming industry including as Head of Business Development at Isle of Man-based iGaming specialist Apricot Investments, as Board Member at Swedish iGaming product and Lottery content distributor Genera Networks, and in various senior roles over eleven years at leading iGaming content supplier Microgaming, including as Head of Product Channels.

In his new role with Bragg, Whyte will be tasked with leading the Company’s global commercial teams to drive growth across all of the Company’s product verticals which include proprietary online casino content from its Atomic Slot Lab, Indigo Magic and Wild Streak Gaming studios, exclusive content from content partners, HUB a leading casino content aggregation platform, Fuze player engagement, as well as its award-winning player account management (PAM) platform and turnkey solutions.

Matevž Mazij, Chief Executive Officer at Bragg, said: “I am very pleased to be announcing today the appointment of Neill Whyte as Chief Commercial Officer at Bragg. His iGaming product and market knowledge, together with his record in driving growth from developing successful and mutually beneficial commercial partnerships are exceptional.

“As we leverage our broad content and product portfolio to grow in existing and new markets, including in the United States, Canada, Latin America and Europe, Neill’s unique combination of knowledge, skills and experience in this sector are a perfect fit for our ambitions at Bragg.”

Neill Whyte, Chief Commercial Officer at Bragg, said: “It’s an honor to join Matevž and the wider teams at Bragg already in place across North America, Europe and in India. I have been impressed with the depth and quality of the content, product and technology offerings at Bragg, and its ability to rapidly adapt, certify and deploy this content and technology in newly regulated markets is a distinct advantage.

“We also have a huge opportunity to grow our footprint with our existing customers in markets in which we are already established. Our content and product roadmaps are second to none, and I’m planning to get on the road in the coming weeks and months to meet the team and our customers and to start building for the next stage of mutual growth. I can’t wait to get going.”