Aquisitions/Mergers
The Chiliz Group acquires OG Esports, reuniting with original co-founders to launch new era
-
Chiliz Group acquires 51% of OG Esports, investing to grow the team, expand operations, and strengthen fan and player engagement.
-
Xavier Oswald, a former co-founder and shareholder of OG, becomes CEO, while OG co-founders Johan “n0tail” Sundstein and Sébastien “Ceb” Debs launch a new strategic project consolidating the team’s competitive foundation.
-
Socios.com becomes the exclusive platform for $OG Fan Tokens, $OG will act as the showcase for blockchain-based utility.
The Chiliz Group, the world’s leading blockchain provider for the sports and entertainment industry and operator of Socios.com, today announced it has acquired a 51% controlling stake in OG Esports, one of the most iconic and innovative names in global esports.
Founded in 2015 by legendary Dota 2 players Johan “n0tail” Sundstein and Sébastien “Ceb” Debs, OG is the first team in history to win back-to-back titles at The International. Since then, OG has expanded into Counter-Strike, Honor of Kings and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, building one of the most successful and culturally significant organisations in esports.
OG has a track record of delivering a fan-driven culture through innovation and launched the $OG Fan Token in 2020. The $OG Fan Token recently became the first esports Fan Token to surpass a $100 million market capitalization, driven by surging global demand for digital fan assets. Having delivered exclusive voting rights, VIP experiences, merchandise, and direct access to the team for fans worldwide, $OG represents a thriving $100m+ digital fan economy.
As part of the acquisition, Xavier Oswald will take on the role of CEO of OG, guiding the organisation into its next chapter, while co-founders Johan “n0tail” Sundstein and Sébastien “Ceb” Debs will lead a new strategic project consolidating the team’s competitive foundation, driving innovation at the intersection of esports and Web3.
At the same time, Socios.com will become the exclusive wallet and engagement platform for $OG Fan Tokens, establishing $OG as the flagship example of the new fan economy. The token will now showcase how fan assets can evolve – serving as the blockchain layer for tickets, merchandise, in-stadium perks, and digital content, while also integrating real-world assets and club revenues through mechanisms like buybacks to deliver deeper influence and tangible value to supporters.
Through The Chiliz Group’s global network of more than 80 leading sports properties, OG will now be able to expand into new countries and markets, building a larger international footprint and new commercial opportunities. Backed by the financial strength of a global group, OG will become more resilient and sustainable, ensuring long-term stability while focusing on what matters most: players, fans, and innovation.
More details about the acquisition will be released in the coming weeks.
“OG has always been about community and innovation, and since 2020 it has demonstrated that Fan Tokens can create genuine economic value and meaningful engagement,” said Alex Dreyfus, CEO and Founder of Chiliz. “With a $100 million fan token economy already established, OG represents the perfect case study for what’s truly possible when we place Fan Tokens at the centre of the fan economy. This acquisition allows us to showcase the next evolution – Fan Tokens 2.0.”
“This marks the start of a bold new era for OG,” said Xavier Oswald, incoming CEO of OG. “With Chiliz as our majority partner, we can scale our teams, grow our global community, and unlock a new dimension of engagement through the $OG Fan Token. We’ve always believed that fans should be at the centre of everything we do, and now we have the tools and the backing to make that vision a reality.”
“With Chiliz, we share a common vision based on strong values: passion, transparency, and the power of communities.” said Johan “N0tail” Sundstein, co-founder and historic figure of OG Esports. “From winning back-to-back Internationals to competing against OpenAI Five in a world-first showcase of human-AI collaboration, OG has always been about pushing boundaries. This alliance will allow us to stay true to our identity while continuing to grow.”
“This agreement marks the beginning of a new competitive cycle,’ added Sébastien “Ceb” Debs, two-time world champion with OG. “We want to once again become a major force on the international stage and inspire a new generation of players and fans. With the support of Chiliz, we now have the means to build an ambitious and sustainable project.”
The post The Chiliz Group acquires OG Esports, reuniting with original co-founders to launch new era appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Allwyn International AG
Allwyn Completes Successful Syndication of Acquisition Financing for PrizePicks
Reading Time: < 1 minute
Allwyn International AG announced the successful syndication of a USD 1.5 billion financing for the acquisition of PrizePicks.
The financing comprises a seven-year Term Loan B facility in the principal amount of USD 1000 million, with Allwyn Entertainment Financing (US) LLC as borrower, and a six-year Term Loan A facility with a syndicate of banks in the principal amount of USD 500 million.
The new USD term loan B facility will bear interest at SOFR plus 250bps. Both the new term loan facilities will rank pari passu with the existing debt of Allwyn International AG, Allwyn Entertainment Financing (UK) Plc and Allwyn Entertainment Financing (US) LLC, under the existing intercreditor agreement.
Proceeds from the new facilities, together with cash on balance sheet and facilities already in place, will be used to finance the planned acquisition of PrizePicks and related fees and expenses. On 22 September 2025, Allwyn announced it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire approximately 62.3% of PrizePicks, the largest daily fantasy sports operator in North America. The initial cash consideration is USD 1.6 billion, subject to customary post-closing adjustments and based on an expectation of nil cash and nil debt at closing. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2026, subject to the satisfaction of certain closing conditions, including notifications to and/or approvals from applicable regulatory authorities.
Kenneth Morton, CFO of Allwyn, said: “I am very pleased to have successfully syndicated our largest offering to date in the USD institutional term loan B market, demonstrating continued investor support for the Allwyn credit and confidence in our outlook.
“We are looking forward to the closing of the planned PrizePicks acquisition, an exciting step in our growth strategy and expansion of our footprint in the US market.”
The post Allwyn Completes Successful Syndication of Acquisition Financing for PrizePicks appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Aquisitions/Mergers
Sportradar Announces Close of Acquisition of IMG ARENA and Its Strategic Portfolio of Global Sports Betting Rights
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Acquisition to Accelerate Revenue, Adjusted EBITDA, and Free Cash Flow Growth and will be Accretive to Adjusted EBITDA Margins and Free Cash Flow Conversion
Sportradar Group AG today announced it has completed its acquisition of IMG ARENA and its global sports betting rights portfolio from Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. and OB Global Holdings, LLC. The closing marks a milestone in Sportradar’s growth strategy, further strengthening and differentiating its position as a leading technology and content provider in the most bet upon global sports, including soccer, tennis and basketball.
The acquired portfolio encompasses strategic relationships with more than 70 rightsholders, delivering approximately 38,000 official data events and 29,000 streaming events across 14 global sports on six continents. With this, Sportradar sports coverage totals more than 1 million matches annually.
The acquisition enhances the Company’s content distribution and will further fuel product development. Sportradar expects to seamlessly integrate and monetize these rights across its highly scalable technology platform and client network.
Given the unique transaction structure, the acquisition is expected to be accretive to Sportradar’s adjusted EBITDA margins and free cash flow conversion while accelerating the Company’s robust revenue, adjusted EBITDA, and free cash flow growth. Sportradar is not required to provide any financial consideration as part of the acquisition. Instead, the deal includes total financial consideration to Sportradar of $225 million comprised of approximately $122 million in cash prepayments by the seller to certain sports rightsholders and approximately $103 million to Sportradar. The payments to Sportradar, which are subject to customary purchase price adjustments, will be made over a two-year period.
Carsten Koerl, Chief Executive Officer of Sportradar, stated: “We are pleased to complete the acquisition of IMG ARENA. This marks a significant milestone for Sportradar expanding our access to premium sports content that strengthens and complements our already robust global portfolio and capabilities. With this, we are uniquely positioned to deliver even more immersive, data rich experiences to our clients, partners and fans around the world while accelerating innovation at scale across the global sports ecosystem.”
The post Sportradar Announces Close of Acquisition of IMG ARENA and Its Strategic Portfolio of Global Sports Betting Rights appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Aquisitions/Mergers
Banijay Group Reinforces Leadership in Sports Betting and Online Gaming with the Acquisition of a Majority Stake in Tipico Group
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Banijay Group, the Entertainment powerhouse, has signed a binding agreement with CVC and Tipico’s founders to combine Betclic and Tipico groups, becoming the majority shareholder of the combined entity, and creating a European champion in sports betting and online gaming. Banijay Group will buy the major stake of CVC in Tipico in cash, and all shareholders of Betclic and Tipico, including the respective founders, will become shareholders of the combined entity.
With the addition of Tipico Group, leader in sports betting and online gaming in Germany and Austria, Banijay Group would bring, on a pro forma basis, its revenue to €6.4bn and its adjusted EBITDA to €1.4bn in 2024.
Banijay Group’s gaming activity – Banijay Gaming – which would double in revenue, adjusted EBITDA and free cash-flow and regroup three strong brands: Betclic, Tipico and Admiral – generated €3.0bn in revenues, €854m in Adjusted EBITDA and €716m in Adjusted free cash flow in 2024, on a pro forma basis. Together, they serve almost 6.5m unique active players annually, operate more than 1250 betting shops in Germany and Austria and employ 5300 employees.
Betclic and Tipico are two complementary local champions with leading positions in six highly attractive and fully regulated markets (Germany, France, Portugal, Austria, Poland and Côte d’Ivoire) thanks to strong tech and product expertise, joining forces to become the fourth largest European sports betting and gaming player and the leader of sports betting in Continental Europe.
Combining Betclic’s recognised digital expertise with Tipico’s omnichannel offer would broaden the Group’s capabilities across all distribution channels, strengthening its strategic positioning and enabling a seamless and differentiated customer experience.
Through this transaction, Banijay Gaming would bring together two leading operators of similar scale with shared values, backed by highly experienced management teams. In the current deal, the Enterprise values agreed by the parties for Betclic and Tipico groups amount to €4.8bn and €4.6bn respectively.
Banijay Group will be the controlling shareholder with 65% of the capital at closing, aiming to reach a minimum of 72% in the target structure through call options agreed on the shares held by CVC and the managers of Tipico. The founders of both Betclic and Tipico will remain long-term shareholders in Banijay Gaming alongside Banijay Group, resulting from their full roll-out into Banijay Gaming, reflecting a long-term partnership and full alignment on future value creation.
As of January 1 2026, Nicolas Béraud, Betclic CEO, will become Chairman of the Board of Banijay Gaming, while Lov Group Invest will continue as President. Julien Brun, currently COO of Betclic, will succeed Nicolas Béraud as Betclic CEO. After completion of the transaction, Joachim Baca, Chairman and former CEO of Tipico, will become Vice-Chairman of the Board of Banijay Gaming, while Axel Hefer, CEO of Tipico, will remain in his current role.
The transaction will be fully backed by a certain funds financing package for a principal amount equal to approximately €3bn, including the refinancing of Tipico Group’s existing debt, underwritten by certain of Betclic’s main financing partners. Banijay Group’s post-transaction leverage is expected at 3.5x, with a reduction below 2.5x within three years after closing, driven by strong cash-flow generation supporting both deleveraging and increasing stake into Banijay Gaming (72% ownership minimum in the target structure). Excluding the exercise of call options, deleveraging is expected to be around 0.5x per year.
Completion of the transaction is expected in mid-2026, following satisfaction of customary conditions precedent, in particular merger control and gambling regulatory approvals.
The post Banijay Group Reinforces Leadership in Sports Betting and Online Gaming with the Acquisition of a Majority Stake in Tipico Group appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
-
Andrew Rhodes7 days agoUK Gambling Commission Concludes Four-part Series on Illegal Online Gambling
-
Balkans7 days agoCT Interactive to Participate in BEGE 2025
-
Apollo’s Garden of Riches7 days agoPromatic Releases “Apollo’s Garden of Riches”
-
Latest News6 days agoBoomerang Partners celebrated Golden Boomerang League winners and engaged booth guests with a gift auction at SiGMA Europe 2025
-
Amusnet7 days agoAmusnet Releases its Latest Video Slot “Ancient Coins”
-
Latest News6 days agoRocketPlay wins Best Customer Service at European iGaming Excellence Awards
-
Chief Strategy Officer at GAMOMAT Development GmbH Sebastian Reddig7 days agoGAMOMAT serves up more sweet life with La Dolce Vita 2
-
Canada4 days agoGroup from Ts’elxwéyeqw Tribe and Great Canadian Entertainment Announce Agreement for the Acquisition of Elements Casino Chilliwack



