Latest News

Statement by the Board of Directors of LeoVegas in relation to the public offer from MGM

Published

4 years ago

May 2, 2022

Reading Time: 6 minutes

The Board of Directors of LeoVegas unanimously recommends the shareholders of LeoVegas to accept the public offer from MGM of SEK 61 in cash per share.

This statement is made by the Board of Directors[1] of LeoVegas AB (publ) (the “Company” or “LeoVegas”) pursuant to Rule II.19 of the Nasdaq Stockholm Takeover Rules (the “Takeover Rules”).

Background
MGM Casino Next Lion, LLC, a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of MGM Resorts International (“MGM”), has today announced a public offer to the shareholders of LeoVegas to transfer all of their shares in LeoVegas to MGM for a consideration of SEK 61 in cash per LeoVegas share (the “Offer”). The total value of the Offer corresponds to approximately SEK 5,957 million[2]. The price of SEK 61 per share in the Offer will not be increased.

The Offer represents a premium of:
· approximately 44.1 per cent compared to the closing price of SEK 42.32 of LeoVegas shares on Nasdaq Stockholm on 29 April 2022, which was the last trading day prior to the announcement of the Offer;

· approximately 57.6 per cent compared to the volume-weighted average trading price of SEK 38.70 of LeoVegas shares on Nasdaq Stockholm during the last 30 trading days prior to the announcement of the Offer; and

· approximately 76.5 per cent compared to the volume-weighted average trading price of SEK 34.56 of LeoVegas shares on Nasdaq Stockholm during the last 180 trading days prior to the announcement of the Offer.

The acceptance period for the Offer is expected to commence on or around 3 June 2022 and expire on or around 30 August 2022.

Completion of the Offer is conditional upon, inter alia, that the Offer is accepted to such an extent that MGM becomes the owner of shares representing more than 90 per cent of the outstanding shares in LeoVegas (on a fully diluted basis), as well as all regulatory, governmental or similar clearances, approvals and decisions necessary to complete the Offer, including approvals and clearances from competition authorities, being obtained, in each case on terms which, in MGM’s opinion, are acceptable. MGM has reserved the right to waive the conditions for completion of the Offer. The Offer is not conditional upon financing. MGM has stated that it will not increase the price of SEK 61 in the Offer. By this statement, MGM cannot, in accordance with the Takeover Rules, increase the price in the Offer.

The Board of Directors of LeoVegas has given consent to MGM to offer a management incentive plan for certain key employees of LeoVegas and notes that MGM has obtained a statement from the Swedish Securities Council (Sw. Aktiemarknadsnämnden) confirming that the proposed incentive plan is compatible with the Takeover Rules (Ruling 2022:16).

The Board of Directors of LeoVegas has, at the written request of MGM, permitted MGM to carry out a due diligence review of LeoVegas in connection with the preparation of the Offer. With the exception of information that was subsequently included in LeoVegas’ Q1 report for 2022, MGM has not been provided with any inside information regarding LeoVegas in connection with the due diligence review.

MGM has obtained irrevocable undertakings to accept the Offer from the Company’s largest shareholder and Chief Executive Officer, Gustaf Hagman, and certain other shareholders[3]. Gustaf Hagman has undertaken to tender 8,050,000 shares (8.2 per cent of the outstanding shares in LeoVegas), and other shareholders have undertaken to tender a total of 6,909,281 shares in LeoVegas (7.1 per cent). Accordingly, irrevocable undertakings to accept the Offer from shareholders representing in total 14,959,281 shares (15.3 per cent) have been obtained. The irrevocable undertakings apply irrespective of whether a higher competing offer is made. The irrevocable undertakings will terminate if the Offer is not declared unconditional on or before 31 October 2022. In addition, Torsten Söderberg, who is also a Board member of LeoVegas, has stated that he is very supportive of the Offer. Torsten Söderberg and family owns 4,533,861 shares in LeoVegas (4.6 percent).

SEB Corporate Finance (“SEB”) is acting as financial adviser and Cederquist is acting as legal adviser to LeoVegas in connection with the Offer.

Process conducted by the Board of Directors
In parallel with other interested third parties contemplating public tender offers, MGM contacted LeoVegas in December 2021. The Board of Directors engaged SEB to lead the process of evaluating other parties’ interest for the Company. In February 2022, MGM submitted a non-binding offer letter to the Board of Directors of LeoVegas indicating an interest to pursue with a public offer subject to, inter alia, a satisfactory due diligence review and the Board of Directors of LeoVegas recommending the shareholders to accept the offer from MGM. The Board of Directors gave MGM permission to conduct a due diligence review. As instructed by the Board of Directors, SEB entertained parallel processes with other interested parties in the interest of creating maximum value for the shareholders in LeoVegas. Following further negotiations with the Board of Directors and SEB, MGM increased its non-binding offer, to a price level other interested parties could not match, in order to receive a recommendation from the Board of Directors.

The Board of Directors’ recommendation
In its evaluation of the Offer, the Board of Directors has taken a number of factors into account which the Board of Directors deems relevant. These factors include, but are not limited to, the Company’s present strategic and financial position and the Company’s expected potential future development and thereto related opportunities and risks.

The Board of Directors notes that the Offer represents a premium of approximately 44.1 per cent compared to the closing price of SEK 42.32 of the Company’s share on Nasdaq Stockholm on 29 April 2022, which was the last trading day before the announcement of the Offer, and a premium of approximately 57.6 per cent and 76.5 per cent respectively, compared to the volume-weighted average share price for the Company’s share on Nasdaq Stockholm during the last 30 and 180 trading days, respectively, prior to the announcement.

As noted above, LeoVegas has received several indications of interest or non-binding offers concerning a potential tender offer. MGM’s offer is, in the assessment of the LeoVegas Board of Directors, the superior offer from the perspective of the shareholders. The LeoVegas Board of Directors has investigated and considered market and industry trends, and certain strategic alternatives available to LeoVegas. Such alternatives included, but were not limited to, remaining an independent listed company with a possible listing in the USA. The LeoVegas Board of Directors has also considered the risks and uncertainties associated with such alternatives.

LeoVegas operates in an industry which is characterised by, inter alia, high innovation pace, new regulation and consolidation. In this context, the Board of Directors believes that the industrial logic and strategic fit between LeoVegas and MGM is attractive and should serve both the company and its employees well in the future.

The Board of Directors further notes that LeoVegas’ largest shareholder and Chief Executive Officer Gustaf Hagman and certain other shareholders, representing in aggregate 15.3 per cent of the outstanding shares and votes in the Company, have entered into undertakings to accept the Offer, subject to certain conditions, irrespective of whether a higher competing offer is made. In addition, Torsten Söderberg, who is also a Board member of LeoVegas and together with family owns 4.6 per cent of the outstanding shares, has stated that he is very supportive of the Offer.

As part of the Board of Directors’ evaluation of the Offer, the Board of Directors has engaged BDO to issue a so-called fairness opinion regarding the Offer, see Appendix 1. According to the fairness opinion, the Offer is fair to LeoVegas’ shareholders from a financial point of view (subject to the assumptions and considerations set out in the fairness opinion).

Under the Takeover Rules, the Board of Directors shall, based on the statements made by MGM in the Offer press release issued earlier today, present its opinion regarding the impact that the implementation of the Offer will have on LeoVegas, particularly in terms of employment, and its opinion regarding MGM’s strategic plans for LeoVegas and the effects it is anticipated that such plans will have on employment and on the places in which LeoVegas conducts its business. In this respect, the Board of Directors notes that MGM has stated that “MGM values the skills and talents of LeoVegas’ management and employees and intends to continue to safeguard the excellent relationship that LeoVegas has with its employees. Given MGM’s current knowledge of LeoVegas and in light of current market conditions, MGM does not intend to materially alter the operations of LeoVegas following the implementation of the Offer, subject, of course, to MGM’s continued regulatory review. There are currently no decisions on any material changes to LeoVegas’ or MGM’s employees and management or to the existing organization and operations, including the terms of employment and locations of the business”. The Board of Directors assumes that this description is correct and has no reason to take a different view in this respect.

Based on the above, the Board of Directors unanimously recommends the shareholders in LeoVegas to accept the Offer.
This statement shall in all respects be governed by and construed in accordance with Swedish law. Disputes arising from this statement shall be settled exclusively by Swedish courts.

The information in the press release is information that LeoVegas is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation and the Takeover Rules. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, at 08.00 CEST on 2 May 2022.

[1] The Board member Torsten Söderberg and the Company’s largest shareholder and Chief Executive Officer Gustaf Hagman have not participated in the Board’s evaluation of or discussions regarding the Offer due to conflict of interest.
[2] Based on 97,652,970 outstanding shares in LeoVegas, which excludes 4,000,000 treasury shares held by LeoVegas. In the event that LeoVegas should pay any dividend or make any other value transfer prior to the settlement of the Offer, the price per share in the Offer will be reduced correspondingly.
[3] LOYS AG: 3,259,281 shares (3.3 per cent). Robin Ramm-Ericson: 2,250,000 shares (2.3 per cent). Pontus Hagnö: 1,000,000 shares (1.0 per cent). Gilston Invest AB: 400,000 shares (0.4 per cent).

Eeze

Eeze partners with Yggdrasil on multi-year slots development deal

Published

25 minutes ago

June 19, 2026

Wladimir P.

eeze-partners-with-yggdrasil-on-multi-year-slots-development-deal

Eeze will use Yggdrasil’s Studio in a Box to build proprietary slot titles, with the first two launches expected toward year-end.

Eeze has signed a multi-year strategic partnership with games publisher Yggdrasil to develop original slot titles using Yggdrasil’s Studio in a Box production solution.

Under the agreement, Eeze will operate as an independent slot studio within the Yggdrasil ecosystem, using the end-to-end framework covering game design, maths configuration, testing, certification and launch. The companies said the setup is intended to streamline production and speed up time to market.

Eeze said the partnership supports its plans to expand as a “multi-vertical content provider,” adding slots alongside its live casino offering.

The first two Eeze slot titles are expected to launch towards the end of the year. After that, Eeze and Yggdrasil plan a rollout cadence of two multi-region games per month.

Graeme Powrie, Chief Commercial Officer at Eeze, said: “This partnership with Yggdrasil is an important step in accelerating Eeze’s long‑term ambition. Studio in a Box allows us to scale our slots strategy at pace, extend our reach in the market, and build on the work already done to position Eeze as a dynamic provider. It sets us up strongly for the future as we continue to grow as a multi‑vertical supplier.”

James Curwen, Chief Executive Officer at Yggdrasil, said: “Eeze has a clear vision for where it wants to go as a business, and Studio in a Box is built to support exactly that type of long‑term growth. This partnership brings a commercially driven studio into our ecosystem, with the tools and structure needed to deliver original, market‑ready slot content at scale.”

The post Eeze partners with Yggdrasil on multi-year slots development deal appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

eSports

Esports Awards adds player-voted EWC Players’ Choice Award, extends Esports Foundation deal

Published

25 minutes ago

June 19, 2026

Wladimir P.

esports-awards-adds-player-voted-ewc-players’-choice-award,-extends-esports-foundation-deal

The Esports Awards and the Esports Foundation (EF) on June 18, 2026, announced a three-year extension of their partnership through 2028 and introduced a new player-voted honor, the EWC Players’ Choice Award. The announcement was made in London, with voting tied to Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 in Paris.

The EWC Players’ Choice Award will be decided exclusively by professional esports players. According to the announcement, competitors attending EWC 2026 will vote in person, while a secure digital voting platform hosted by the Esports Awards will allow participation from additional eligible players and clubs.

Eligibility requires players to have competed in at least one qualifying S, A or B-Tier tournament during the official competitive season. Players will not be able to vote for themselves or teammates, with the Esports Awards overseeing the process.

“The talent and innovation of our sector should be getting the exposure it deserves.,” said Michael Ashford, CEO of the Esports Awards. “The Esports Foundation has done an incredible job in generating mainstream attention, and industry exposure outside of the standard circuit. Our partnership has enabled us to expand our operations and footprint and it’s through our continued collaboration that I hope we can bring the Esports Awards to the global community, and provide the industry with better visibility all year round.”

The Esports Awards also confirmed its 2026 ceremony will take place in the United States, starting what it described as a rotating host city model featuring “previously unvisited destinations.” The event previously staged its 2024 awards ceremony and the 2025 Decade Awards in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia as part of the Esports World Cup program.

EWC 2026 is scheduled for Paris from July 06 through August 23, 2026, with more than 2,000 players and 200 Clubs from over 100 countries set to compete in 25 tournaments across 24 games. Voting for the EWC Players’ Choice Award will run from July 1 through August 18, 2026, with the winner to be revealed during the Esports Awards ceremony later this year. The Esports Awards said additional details about its 2026 event will be announced in the coming weeks.

The post Esports Awards adds player-voted EWC Players’ Choice Award, extends Esports Foundation deal appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Latest News

N1 Sports Digest: Summer Calendar & Traffic Tips

Published

25 minutes ago

June 19, 2026

Wladimir P.

n1-sports-digest:-summer-calendar-&-traffic-tips

Summer 2026 is set to be one of the hottest periods for sports traffic, with every major sporting headline creating fresh scaling opportunities for affiliates.

N1 Partners is launching the first edition of the N1 Sports Digest series, featuring an up-to-date sports calendar along with practical traffic-driving insights from industry experts to help partners make the most of the hot season. Use this calendar to plan your campaigns and maximize your earnings with N1 Sport Promo running from June 10 to July 20.

Summer 2026 sports calendar

June

Dates	Sport	Event
June 11 – July 19	Football	FIFA World Cup 2026
June 3 – June 22	Esports	BLAST.tv Austin Major (CS2)
June 19 – June 21	Golf	Travelers Championship
June 20 – June 21	Formula 1	Austrian Grand Prix
June 25	Basketball	NBA Draft 2026
June 27 – June 28	Formula 1	British Grand Prix

July

Dates	Sport	Event
June 29 – July 12	Tennis	Wimbledon
July 4	Mixed Martial Arts	UFC Freedom 250
July 5	Cricket	Major League Cricket
July 6	Formula 1	British Grand Prix
July 10 – August 24	Esports	Esports World Cup
July 13	Formula 1	Belgian Grand Prix
July 15	Baseball	MLB All-Star Game
July 17 – July 20	Golf	The Open Championship
July 19	Football	FIFA World Cup 2026 Final
July 26	IndyCar	Grand Prix of Monterey
July 27	Formula 1	Hungarian Grand Prix

August

Dates	Sport	Event
August 1	Football	EFL Championship Season Kickoff
August 2	NASCAR	Iowa Corn 350
August 8 – August 9	Formula 1	Dutch Grand Prix
August 14	Football	Bundesliga Season Kickoff
August 15 – August 16	Football	Premier League Season Kickoff
August 24 – September 13	Tennis	US Open
August 28 – August 30	Formula 1	Italian Grand Prix
August (TBA)	Football	La Liga Season Kickoff
August (TBA)	Football	Serie A Season Kickoff
August (TBA)	Esports	VALORANT Champions 2026
August (TBA)	Esports	Road to The International
August (TBA)	American Football	NFL Preseason Games
August (TBA)	Golf	BMW Championship

Expert insights on sport traffic

N1 Partners team gathered key tips from industry experts. They’ll share what affiliates should focus on and how to maximise profitability throughout the summer 2026 sports season.

Daria Smirnova, Affiliate Team Lead, N1 Partners

Season trends and peculiarities:

The biggest highlight of summer 2026 will be the expanded FIFA World Cup format. With more participating nations, new audiences and GEOs that have historically been less engaged with football-related content will enter the spotlight. This creates additional opportunities for testing and scaling.
Special attention should be paid to localisation. Thanks to the expanded geography of the World Cup, audiences will become less universal, making language adaptation, localised creatives, and region-specific triggers even more important for campaign performance.
It is essential to prepare multiple creative concepts for different sports and audience segments rather than building an entire strategy exclusively around football.
Despite the massive interest surrounding the World Cup, affiliates should not limit themselves to football. Audience attention throughout the summer will also be focused on tennis, including Wimbledon, as well as major esports tournaments in Counter-Strike, Dota 2, VALORANT, and other disciplines.
Esports may become a particularly attractive direction due to its younger audience and relatively lower CPMs across a number of GEOs.
The season will be packed with major events, meaning competition for user attention will intensify. As a result, creatives and offers are likely to burn out faster than during regular periods.

How to maximise profit:

Leverage not only football-related news hooks but the entire summer sports calendar.
Continuously test new GEOs and audience segments that may show increased interest driven by major international sporting events.
Focus on retaining users between matches and tournament stages. During quieter periods, virtual sports, fast-paced simulations, and similar engagement mechanics often perform exceptionally well.
Take advantage of additional seasonal opportunities. For example, N1 Sport Promo covers the biggest sporting events of the summer and offers increased payouts for sports traffic, including Prediction Markets traffic.

Vlad Chernov, Deputy Head of Affiliates, N1 Partners

Season trends and peculiarities:

Summer 2026 is set to become one of the most event-packed sports seasons in recent years. Users will be drawn to FIFA World Cup matches, headline UFC events, and numerous other international competitions.
The major sporting events’ abundance creates an almost continuous stream of audience interest while simultaneously increasing competition for user attention.
In an environment of heavy information overload, it is especially important to monitor the news cycle closely, including roster changes, athlete injuries, match postponements, and other developments that may influence audience behaviour.
Major tournaments always carry the potential for unexpected outcomes and major upsets, where favourites are eliminated earlier than expected and underdogs achieve the best results in their history.

How to maximise profit:

Plan campaign launches in advance and prepare for peak periods of sports-driven demand.
Avoid focusing on a single tournament and instead capitalise on opportunities across the entire sports calendar.
Continuously test new traffic combinations and evaluate performance based on EPC rather than focusing solely on bid amounts.
Utilize additional monetization opportunities throughout the sports season. In particular, participation in N1 Sport Promo can increase overall profitability through enhanced payouts and special conditions for sports traffic.

Ksenia Gaikova, Team Lead BDM, Alfaleads Network

Season trends and peculiarities:

When working with major sporting events, it is important to remember that the highest traffic volumes typically occur during the opening stages of a tournament rather than during the final rounds. Users are most actively supporting their favourites when the number of participants is at its maximum.
For affiliates who primarily work with casino traffic and want to capitalise on the sports wave, choosing partners with strong retention mechanisms is especially important. This makes it possible not only to monetise sports-related interest in the moment but also to effectively cross-sell users into other products.
Conversion rates during sporting events can exceed standard benchmarks, but media buying economics differ significantly from casino traffic. As a result, bidding strategies require additional adjustments to account for the specifics of the sports vertical.
During major events, virtually every market participant is working with the same news hooks and narratives. Therefore, bonuses, promo codes, boosted odds, themed landing pages, and other promotional tools become critical competitive advantages.
The market continues to evolve rapidly while traffic source stability declines. Under these conditions, the strongest teams will be those capable of adapting quickly to emerging trends and adjusting their strategies in real time.

How to maximise profit:

Launch campaigns as early as possible rather than waiting for the decisive stages of tournaments.
Work with partners that offer strong player retention and high-performing retention funnels.
Adapt bidding models and acquisition strategies to the specifics of the sports vertical.
Fully integrate the advertiser’s marketing advantages into your funnels.
Closely monitor trends and test new approaches before competitors have the opportunity to scale them.

Roman Cpa Kill, Founder & CEO, THE GODS GROUP

Season trends and peculiarities:

Prediction Markets should not be viewed as a separate vertical. Instead, it represents another monetisation tool that naturally complements traditional sports traffic.
The key success factor is the ability to react quickly to trends, breaking news, and major sporting events.

How to maximise profit:

Identify new opportunities and market inefficiencies before competitors do.
Test hypotheses quickly and avoid delaying the launch of new traffic combinations.
Adapt creatives rapidly to align with current sports narratives and trending topics.
Scale successful campaigns immediately after validating results in order to maximise performance during periods of peak demand.

Considering the density of the sports calendar and the enormous potential of Tier 1 GEOs, summer 2026 is one of the most promising periods for scaling sports traffic.

For affiliates looking to secure higher payouts on sports and Prediction Markets traffic, N1 Sport Promo can serve as an additional monetization tool, where increased FTD volume directly impacts CPA rates.

The summer sports season has already started — join N1 Sport Promo!

The post N1 Sports Digest: Summer Calendar & Traffic Tips appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.