This week in B2B news (13 May)

Evoplay enters the Italian market

Games development studio Evoplay received regulatory approval from Italy’s regulator, Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (ADM), following the studio meeting the requirements set out by the gaming certification lab, BMM Testlabs.

So far, 62 games from Evoplay’s portfolio have been certified in Italy, including 52 video slot games and 10 entertainment-first instant games.

Vladimir Malakchi, CCO at Evoplay, said: “Italy remains an essential target market for us, with the jurisdiction reporting impressive growth in recent times as online casino revenue hit a record high in March this year. We hope the certification will allow us to not only expand in Italy but to establish ourselves across Europe as one of the continent’s leading studios.”

Yggdrasil partners with RushBet in Colombia

Yggdrasil has debuted in the Latin American market as it took its slot portfolio live with Rush Street Interactive’s (RSI) brand in Colombia.

RushBet now has access to Yggdrasil’s slots content and follows the slots developer’s global business strategy.

Andrew Pegler, chief of commercial operations at Yggdrasil, said: “RSI is a market-leading operator in Colombia, and we are very proud to have been given the trust and confidence to introduce our best-in-class games to their local audience. We are excited about this opportunity and look forward to growing our presence in the region together with RSI.”

Richard Schwartz, CEO at RSI, said: “Yggdrasil is well known for its high-quality slots content and offers a diverse portfolio of fan-favourite and new games that is sure to impress our growing customer base in Colombia.

“We are excited to be the first to offer Yggdrasil’s impressive games portfolio in Colombia and look forward to a long-term successful partnership.”

Kalamba Games extends partnership with Betsson Group

Kalamba Games has signed a deal to launch a selection of its games with Betsson Group to try and boost its profile across the European market.

This now allows players at Betsson Group access to a number of Kalamba’s slot games.

Andrew Crosby, CCO of Kalamba Games, said: “Having our titles in the casino lobbies of an operator like the Betsson Group is a definite milestone for Kalamba Games. Its reach and reputation are second to none, and the direct integration is a mark of how far we’ve come as a developer.”

Karl Schranz, acting commercial director for gaming at Betsson Group, said: “We have worked with Kalamba for a number of years via Relax Gaming but it is great to now expand this partnership and to be taking a selection of its slots into game lobbies across our roster of brands.”

Push Gaming goes live with Coolbet

B2B gaming supplier Push Gaming has entered into a partnership with operator Coolbet, seeing its portfolio integrated across Coolbet’s network.

Coolbet currently operates in markets such as Sweden, Estonia and Ontario. This deal adds to the already live deals with the likes of LeoVegas, Entain, 32Red, 888, Casumo and Svenska Spel.

Fiona Hickey, head of sales at Push Gaming, said: “It is a pleasure to partner with Coolbet, this deal comes at an exciting time as we continue to work on providing the industry with our most varied and high-quality releases to date.”

Patrik Backlund, head of casino and games at Coolbet, added: “We are incredibly proud of this latest deal with Push Gaming, which will help us further achieve this target.

“Push’s vast portfolio of fan-favourite titles will both engage and excite our players and we look forward to seeing the reception its extensive slot offering will receive.”

LynxBet names MMA fighter Paulo Costa as Brazilian Ambassador

LynxBet has signed mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Paulo Costa as a brand ambassador as it looks to kickstart its operations in Brazil.

Costa is known as ‘Borrachinha’ (The Eraser) in Brazil, and has mass appeal to the region’s Millennial audience, with MMA ranking as the second most popular sport in Brazil after football.

This is the first time Costa has signed with a casino and sportsbook, and he will be used across the company’s social media.

Samantha Asensi, LynxBet country manager for Brazil and Latam, said: “We’re delighted to have Paulo Costa on board as our brand ambassador for Brazil. As a popular sports star who is revered throughout the country, he is perfect to represent LynxBet as we continue to attract new players to join the land of LynxBet.”

EveryMatrix reveals strong results for Q1 2022

In its Q1 update, EveryMatrix showed that it had growth across all of its business segments: casino, sports and platform.

Gross profit increased 14% year-on-year (YoY) in Q1 2022, reaching €13.9m (£11.9m). This was driven by substantial growth and revenue stabilisation in the German market.

EBITDA was down by 14% to €4.8m.

During this time, the company continued to invest in its gaming studios and the US market.

The EBITDA/gross profit margin was 35%, the same as the full-year EBITDA/gross profit margin in 2021.

Net cash increased from €5.9m in the first quarter of 2021 to €11.1m in the first quarter of 2022. The company is debt free and reinvests positive cash flow into future expansion.

Ebbe Groes, Group CEO of EveryMatrix, said: “We have started the year with a strong financial performance across all three business segments, driven by our well-balanced and innovative product offering and broad client base. We saw a record number of new client wins in the quarter, with 40 deals signed across all products.

“We continue to invest organically for our next level of growth, mainly in our game studios and North American markets. On top of the organic investments, we are also looking at M&A opportunities.”