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UK betting technology supplier 20SHOTS accelerate funding with £400,000 raise at £5m valuation

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  • 20SHOTS have geared up for the new football season in the UK by securing additional investment in a second funding round, including securing the backing of US VC Animal Capital

  • New season will see new product rollout for popular Fantasy5 free-to-play fantasy football game, covering Champions League, Europa League and other European top flights

  • Current growth trajectory sees Fantasy5 on course to recruit half a million players this season

20SHOTS, the UK technology supplier behind fast-growing free-to-play fantasy football game Fantasy5, have secured an additional £400,000 of investment at a £5 million valuation, with backers including Gen-Z focused US Venture Capital fund Animal Capital.

The American fund that counts social media stars Josh Richards, Griffin Johnson and Noah Beck focus on products that reach a new generation of customers. They have invested an undisclosed sum in 20SHOTS for the new football season, which will see the platform roll out its largest range of products added to its Fantasy5 game to date.

Fantasy5’s Premier League product, which uses a unique points system developed in-house based on fantasy football, offers cash prizes to winners who can successfully predict how well players will perform per gameweek.

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Using their own risk management system and algorithmic trading software, the company will now look to supplement this with additional games covering the Champions League, Europa League and other top European leagues.

The roll out of additional leagues coupled with Fantasy5’s existing growth – bolstered last season by the recruitment of BoyleSports as its first tier one UK & Ireland bookmaker partner – keeps the game on course to break the 500,000 player mark.

Prizes for the additional leagues will remain at the standard £10,000 mark, as offered to Premier League players, and offer partners an increase in engagement and retention. 83% of players who played in the last four rounds last season have made an entry in the first two weeks. The investment in Fantasy5 also comes in advance of the Government’s highly-anticipated White Paper review of the gambling industry, which is likely to see traditional marketing practices come under scrutiny, creating additional need for operators to engage customers beyond traditional channels.

Jacob Kalms, co-founder and CEO of 20SHOTS said: “We’re pleased to welcome Animal Capital as investors as part of our most recent founding round which has raised £400,000 in capital.

“As demand grows in the ultra-competitive free-to-play space, we’re investing in our ability to quickly and seamlessly roll out products and games on a white label basis for a number of different partners across multiple divisions and competitions – with the ultimate objective of using the technology seamlessly across the most popular sports worldwide.

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“Our growth model forecasts we will break the half a million player mark this season, with our scaling driving down the cost of acquisition for partners whilst maintaining our engagement, dwell and retention rates considerably above industry averages.”

He added: “Operators should also be considering how free-to-play and softer marketing funnels like those offered by games like Fantasy5 will help them navigate any changes thrust upon them by the upcoming gambling review. Whilst our audience is ultimately commercially valuable to any operator or affiliate, Fantasy5 remains a sustainable way to build a loyal audience over time.”

Marshall Sandman, Managing Partner of Animal Capital said: “In a crowded market of fantasy, free to play, and pay-to-play sports betting, 20SHOTS distinguishes itself with a best in class team and direction that has allowed the product to stand out distinctly and early.

“Their flagship game Fantasy5 is an early hit, their B2B relationships are uniquely positioned to make this an exciting asset and their ability to resonate and be sticky with a younger audience are all reasons why we were excited to be on the journey.

“Jacob the CEO and his team have conviction and direction, and they will continue to prove why they deserve to be big fish in this pond!”

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SharpLink Gaming Announces First Quarter 2024 Results and Provides Operational Update

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SharpLink Gaming, Inc. (Nasdaq:SBET) (“SharpLink” or the “Company”), an online performance-based marketing company serving the U.S. sports betting and iGaming industries, today announced its first quarter financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2024, as reported in the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (“10-Q”) filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on Friday, May 17, 2024.

Commenting on the results, Rob Phythian, Chairman and CEO of SharpLink, stated, “2024 kicked off being marked by a pivotal quarter defined by the successful execution of a series of initiatives. We view each of these important milestones as critical first steps in achieving the strategic transformation of our Company, enabling us to ultimately win distinction as a leading pure-play online affiliate marketing company trusted by and relied upon by our U.S. sportsbook and global casino gaming partners.”

As previously announced, on January 18, 2024, SharpLink sold its Sports Gaming Client Services and SportsHub Gaming Network (“SHGN”) business segments to RSports Interactive, Inc. (“RSports”) for $22.5 million in an all-cash transaction. As a result, the historical results for these segments were reflected as discontinued operations in the Company’s consolidated financial statements included in the 10-Q.

Financial Highlights for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2024 Compared to Three Months Ended March 21, 2023

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  • Revenues from the Company’s continuing operations totaled $975,946 compared to $1,232,762.
  • Net loss from continuing operations declined 18.4% to $1,760,811 compared to $2,157,183.
  • Net income from discontinued operations, net of tax increased 2217% to $14,111,167 from a net loss from discontinued operations, net of tax of $666,563.
  • Net income totaled $12,350,345, or $3.36 income per share on a fully diluted basis – up 537% from $2,823,746, or $1.01 loss per share.

For more detailed information on SharpLink’s first quarter 2024 financial performance, please refer to Form 10-Q filed with the SEC and accessible at sec.gov or on SharpLink’s website at sharplink.com.

First Quarter 2024 Business Highlights

  • On January 18, 2024, completed sale of SharpLink’s Sports Gaming Client Services and SHGN businesses to RSports for $22.5 million in an all-cash transaction.
  • Immediately following the sale, SharpLink used a portion of the proceeds from the sale to retire approximately $19.4 million, in aggregate, in outstanding debt obligations, thereby eliminating all interest-bearing debt on its balance sheet.
  • On February 8, 2024, regained full compliance with Nasdaq Continued Listing Standards.
  • On February 13, 2024, completed domestication merger with SharpLink Gaming, Ltd., changing from an Israel limited liability company to a Delaware corporation.
  • In February, established new Board of Directors for SharpLink Gaming, Inc. with the appointments of Rob Phythian as Chairman and Leslie Bernhard, Obie McKenzie and Robert Gutkowski as new independent members of the Board.

Continuing, Phythian said, “Given our strengthened balance sheet; our highly engaged Board comprised of world class, accomplished business executives; and our shared commitment to a strategy that is expected to empower us to capitalize on potentially compelling growth opportunities in the sports, entertainment and media industries, SharpLink has great hopes for our Company’s future. We plan to continue to enhance our value proposition to our sportsbooks and casino operator partners, while also actively seeking opportunities to expand our iGaming affiliate marketing network into new U.S and international markets where online sports betting and casino gaming have been legalized. Moreover, we intend to continue executing our strategic transformation with clarity and focus, and in doing so, we hope to deliver strong, sustainable value creation for our fellow shareholders for many years to come.”

“Unlocking SharpLink’s next phase of growth with purpose and cost-discipline will be key to our long-term success and should provide us with greater agility as we build momentum and look to accelerate our growth prospects as 2024 unfolds. To help support our mission and continued strategic transformation, we have filed a registration statement on Form S-3 with the SEC and accompanying prospectus for an At-The-Market offering (“ATM”) which we may utilize to raise growth capital if and when market conditions permit. We have identified other measures that we may also pursue to optimize our assets and further strengthen the foundation on which we are building the ‘new’ SharpLink. Over the course of the next several months, I look forward to sharing many more details on our plans and future ambitions,” concluded Phythian.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities of SharpLink, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

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Pai Gow Poker Jackpot of nearly $220,000 won at the Plaza Hotel & Casino Same day, slot machine hits for $45,000

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On May 20, a Las Vegas local won nearly $220,000 playing Pai Gow poker at the Plaza Hotel & Casino in downtown Las Vegas.

His original buy in was $200, and he hit a 7-card straight flush for a total progressive hit of more than $206,000 plus a Fortune Bonus bet for another $12,500. After his exciting win, the jackpot was reset back to the $10,000 reseed amount.

That same day, a player who bet $2.25 on a buffalo slot machine won a $45,000 progressive jackpot. The lucky winner was visiting from California to attend the Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC).

 

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Gaming Innovation Group – Minutes from Annual Meeting of Shareholders

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The Annual Meeting of Shareholders in Gaming Innovation Group Inc. was held today, 22 May 2024, in Stockholm, Sweden. Shareholders representing 57.10% of the shares entitled to vote were present in person or by proxy.

The Annual Meeting approved the Company’s Annual Report for 2023.

The Annual Meeting resolved that the Board of Directors should consist of five members and resolved to re-elect Mikael Riese Harstad as Director of the Board and elect him as new Chairman, to re-elect Hesam Yazdi as Director of the Board, and to elect Cristina Romero de Alba, Mateusz Juroszek and Nicholas Batram as new Directors of the Board. It was further resolved to approve the proposal from the Nomination Committee for remuneration to the Board of Directors.

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The Annual Meeting further resolved that the Nomination Committee shall consist of not less than three and not more than four members, to represent all shareholders, and be appointed by the three largest shareholders as at 31 August 2024.

Finally, the Annual Meeting resolved to reappoint REID CPAs LLP as auditors of the Company, and to give the Board of Directors authority to buy back already issued and outstanding shares in the Company as proposed in the Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

GiG Media and GiG Platform Boards

As part of the process to split the Company by distributing GiG Platform to the shareholders, the Company now have two separate board compositions. GiG Media will continue to operate under GiG’s current corporate structure, with GiG serving as its listed holding company. GiG Platform, currently operated as a subsidiary of GiG, will be spun off to GiG’s shareholders later this year. GiG Platform now has a board of directors consisting of Petter Nylander as chairman, along with Nicolas Adlercreutz, Mikael Riese Harstad, Hesam Yazdi, Tomasz Juroszek and Steve Salmon as ordinary board members.

The post Gaming Innovation Group – Minutes from Annual Meeting of Shareholders appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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