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BETSSON ACQUIRES SPORTS BETTING AND GAMING OPERATOR BETFIRST IN BELGIUM AND ENTERS INTO PARTNERSHIP WITH GROUPE PARTOUCHE TO LAUNCH ONLINE CASINO OFFERING ON THE BELGIAN MARKET
Betsson AB today announces the Group’s acquisition of the leading Belgian sports betting and gaming operator betFIRST for a total value of EUR 120 million, of which up to EUR 3 million is an earnout payment subject to certain conditions being met, all payable in cash. At the same time, Betsson and Groupe Partouche, the publicly listed leading French casino operator, today announce a new strategic partnership in order to offer online casino services in regulated markets. A first joint online casino offering should be launched in Belgium during 2023, subject to officially obtaining the required licenses. These two strategic initiatives are fully aligned with Betsson’s ambitions to deliver profitable growth, with a preference for growth in locally regulated markets in the long term.
Betsson has agreed to acquire all shares in the betFIRST Group, which operates a sports betting and gaming business under the brand betFIRST in Belgium. The total up-front consideration of the acquisition is EUR 117 million on a cash and debt-free basis, payable in cash. In addition, Betsson may pay up to EUR 3 million as earnout, subject to delivery on certain agreed financial targets. The initial consideration for the acquisition is equivalent to a multiple of 10.0x betFIRST’s estimated EBITDA for the financial year 2023.
Established in 2011, betFIRST is a leading B2C operator in the locally regulated online gaming market in Belgium, offering sports betting and dice games. betFIRST is a leading brand for sports betting in Belgium with a proven track record of successful customer acquisition and revenue growth. betFIRST holds a license for online sports betting and a license for online dice games in Belgium. In addition to the online business, the company also operates across approximately 450 points of sale in Belgium and also owns a gaming arcade. In the last financial year ending 31 December 2022, betFIRST recorded net gaming revenue of EUR 51.2 million and adjusted EBITDA of EUR 10.0 million.
The new partnership with leading French casino operator Groupe Partouche will combine Betsson’s expertise in the online gaming sector and Groupe Partouche’s market leadership in land-based casinos to deliver an attractive online casino offering tailored to the local market. Groupe Partouche operates land-based casinos in France and Switzerland and also holds an offline casino license in Belgium, which can be extended to an online casino license. With such a license, a full range of online casino products can be offered to the Belgian market. Subject to the required licenses being granted by the Belgian regulator, the aim is to launch the online casino offering in Belgium during 2023. Betsson and Groupe Partouche are committed to developing their new collaboration and exploring additional ways to expand the partnership.
The acquisition of betFIRST and the partnership with Groupe Partouche will provide Betsson with critical access to the competitive Belgian market, a further diversified geographical footprint and an increased share of revenue from locally regulated markets. Betsson intends to continue operating the betFIRST sports betting business as it is today while exploring potential synergies in the mid-to-long term.
Pontus Lindwall, CEO and President of Betsson AB, commented: “We are very excited about entering the Belgian market together with our partners Groupe Partouche and see a strong strategic fit with the acquisition of betFIRST. At Betsson, our growth strategy revolves around extending our presence into new markets, particularly in locally regulated or soon-to-be regulated markets. Belgium, where the online gaming market is regulated since 2011, aligns very well with this strategy. Our business model is highly scalable, and these initiatives will add revenue and strengthen our profitability over time.”
Betsson is able to finance the acquisition with existing cash from its balance sheet and within existing credit facilities.
Completion of the acquisition of betFIRST is not conditional on regulatory approvals and is expected to occur on or around July 5, 2023.
Betsson has engaged Lazard as financial advisor and Gernandt & Danielsson as principal legal advisor (together with Van Bael & Bellis and Edson Legal as legal advisors in Belgium) in connection with the acquisition.
iGaming
Tugi Tark and Narnium Solutions Announce Strategic Partnership to Strengthen Player Support Across Multiple iGaming Brands
Tugi Tark has entered into a strategic partnership with Narnium Solutions, an operator managing multiple online casino brands, to deploy its customer service platform alongside AI-powered support agents across the operator’s portfolio.
Narnium Solutions brings over 15 years of experience spanning casino operations, compliance, payments, marketing, and platform management. As the company continues to expand across both emerging and established markets, delivering scalable and consistent player support has become a key operational priority.
Through this collaboration, Narnium Solutions is integrating Tugi Tark’s platform and AI agents—trained on more than 10 million real iGaming support interactions—to streamline player communication across all brands within a single, unified environment.
A company representative at Narnium Solutions said:
“Partnering with Tugi Tark marks an important step forward for us. We’re excited to introduce an AI-powered chat experience into our ecosystem, strengthening our modern iGaming stack and enhancing player communication across our brands.”
The platform is being used to centralise support operations across the NarniaSlots brand family. Tugi Tark’s AI-driven chat widget is embedded directly into each site, enabling automated handling of player queries while allowing support teams to focus on more complex cases within a shared workspace.
The solution is designed to scale alongside Narnium Solutions’ growing pipeline, which includes upcoming brands such as Lucky Mary and House of Slots, as the company continues to expand its footprint.
Harpo Lilja, CEO of Tugi Tark, said:
“Narnium Solutions operates on a global scale with the kind of multi-brand complexity our platform was built to support. We’re pleased to welcome them on board and to power player support across their entire portfolio.”
The partnership aligns with Narnium Solutions’ broader strategy of building compliant, scalable iGaming operations across international markets. With a centralised support infrastructure and AI-driven capabilities in place, the company is well positioned to deliver consistent, high-quality player experiences as it continues to grow.
The post Tugi Tark and Narnium Solutions Announce Strategic Partnership to Strengthen Player Support Across Multiple iGaming Brands appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Industry News
QTech Games recruits banking and AI leader Jonny Youssef as CTO to drive next phase of its growth journey
QTech Games, the leading game aggregator for emerging markets, has appointed Jonny Youssef as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to lead the next phase of the company’s technology organisation, innovation and technology strategy as QTech accelerates its global expansion. Jonny will lead the continued development of QTech’s platform architecture and engineering organisation, focusing on scalability, AI-driven capabilities and next-generation tools designed to support operators and content partners across fast-growing markets. Jonny brings more than 20 years of technology leadership experience across banking, fintech, SaaS platforms and AI-driven innovation. His background combines enterprise-scale infrastructure expertise with hands-on experience building and scaling digital platforms and emerging technology systems. Previously, Jonny served as Head of Innovation for Swedbank Group Lending & Payments, where he led digital initiatives across lending, payments, APIs and digital channels within one of the Nordic region’s largest banking groups. He has also held senior technology leadership roles at Entercard Group, overseeing technology infrastructure and mission-critical production environments supporting large-scale payment operations across Nordic markets. Alongside his enterprise leadership experience, Jonny has founded and scaled several technology ventures and digital platforms. As a technology founder and CTO, he has led the design and development of international platforms operating across Europe and Asia, building distributed engineering teams and scalable digital infrastructure.
In recent years, Jonny has contributed to the development of next-generation AI and sustainability technology initiatives, including work with Circular Living and Biotonomy, where advanced AI, IoT and Edge AI systems are used to power intelligent environments, autonomous infrastructure and real-time operational insights. Beyond his commercial initiatives, he is also a board member and early contributor to The AI Community of Sweden, a national innovation network connecting professionals, enterprises and academia to collaborate on AI innovation. At QTech Games, Jonny will focus on strengthening the company’s technology foundations as it continues to scale globally, enhancing AI-driven functionality, automation and analytics capabilities that enable partners to unlock greater value from the platform. He will also oversee QTech’s engineering and technology teams to ensure continued innovation while maintaining the speed, reliability and integration flexibility that have become hallmarks of QTech’s aggregation platform.
QTech Games’ CEO, Philip Doftvik, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Jonny to QTech at an important moment in our growth journey.
“He brings a rare combination of enterprise technology leadership, platform-building expertise and forward-looking innovation in AI and automation. His experience across banking infrastructure, global digital platforms and emerging technology ecosystems makes him uniquely positioned to guide us through its next phase of technological evolution.
“As we continue to expand across emerging markets, Jonny’s leadership will help ensure we remain at the forefront of innovation — delivering scalable infrastructure, AI-driven insights and powerful technology solutions that help our partners grow.”
Jonny Youssef added: “QTech Games has built a strong reputation as one of the most innovative and reliable aggregation platforms serving emerging markets.
“What impressed me most is the company’s focus on speed, simplicity and partner success — combined with a clear ambition to continue evolving the platform through technology. I’m excited to join the team at a time when AI, automation and data-driven capabilities are creating new opportunities to deliver even greater value to operators and game providers.
“My focus will be on strengthening the platform architecture, scaling our technology capabilities with AI and supporting the next phase of QTech’s growth.”
The post QTech Games recruits banking and AI leader Jonny Youssef as CTO to drive next phase of its growth journey appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Games Global
Games Global and Stormcraft Studios dive into aquatic adventure with Mermaid’s Millions Cashingo™
Games Global, together with exclusive studio partner Stormcraft Studios, has unveiled Mermaid’s Millions Cashingo
, a vibrant deep-sea slot blending enchanting visuals with engaging mechanics to deliver a layered gameplay experience.
Building on more than 15 years of success enjoyed by the heritage title, Mermaid’s Millions, the upgraded sequel introduces the Cashingo
and ULTRA Link&Win
features to enhance gameplay.
Set in a shimmering underwater kingdom, the 5×5, 40-payline title unfolds among coral caverns and glittering reefs, with win potential in excess of 13,000x.
At the heart of the game is the Cashingo
feature, where Cash and Jackpot Coins populate a dedicated grid during both the base game and Bonus Spins. Some coins appear as glowing pearls, duplicating onto the grid where they stick and accumulate.
Forming horizontal, vertical, or diagonal lines awards instant prizes and jackpots, while pearls landing on occupied positions merge their values to increase potential payouts.
Further intrigue comes through the ULTRA Link&Win
feature, activated by landing six or more coin symbols. The feature begins with three respins on a 5×5 grid, with coin symbols locking in place while the remaining positions continue to respin.
Special Seahorse Coins can unlock additional rows, expanding the reels and increasing reward potential, while boosters such as Collectors, Doublers, Persistent modifiers and Extra Life Coins can appear to increase winnings and extend the feature.
The adventure continues with Bonus Spins, activated by three or more scatter symbols to award 10 spins, where wild and coin symbols can appear Power Stacked to heighten the chance of significant wins.
Combining ocean-themed visuals with proven mechanics, Mermaid’s Millions Cashingo
delivers a dynamic experience designed to keep players engaged.
Terence Igesund, Executive Producer at Stormcraft Studios, said: “Mermaid’s Millions Cashingo
was made to feel vibrant and full of momentum from the very first spin.
“The ocean setting gave us the perfect canvas to build something visually rich, while the mechanics keep the action evolving as the grid fills and the reels expand.”
David Reynolds, Director of Games Strategy and Partner Management at Games Global, said: “Stormcraft Studios has delivered yet another title that blends strong visual identity with mechanics that are both engaging and easy to understand.
“Mermaid’s Millions Cashingo
captures that balance well and is another example of how our studio network continues to deliver diverse, high-quality content that strengthens the breadth of the Games Global portfolio.”
The post Games Global and Stormcraft Studios dive into aquatic adventure with Mermaid’s Millions Cashingo™ appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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