Bally’s buys SportCaller to bolster US acquisition drive
Free-to-play provider will help operator expand outside of US and build in-house games in non-betting states
Bally’s Corporation has continued its acquisition spree by adding free-to-play (F2P) game retention specialist SportCaller to its arsenal of gaming businesses.
The operator will launch its own catalogue of F2P games later this year to expand its player database in states without sports betting.
The acquisition will give Bally’s exclusive rights to more than 100 games, covering more than 30 sports in 37 countries and enabling the firm to expand its reach beyond the US.
The purchase price was: €20m in cash and 221,391 Bally’s common shares with earnout potential of up to €10m in value of additional shares.
The provider will integrate its 40 developers into the newly formed Bally’s Interactive business arm, which previously operated as Bet.Works.
A Bally’s statement said: “This combination will augment Bet.Works’ development resources and support accelerated innovation and deployment of new products that are already underway.”
Headquartered in Dublin, SportCaller has provided bespoke F2P games to leading operators in Europe and the US, including Flutter-owned FanDuel, Paddy Power and Betfair, as well as BetMGM, William Hill and Kindred.
“I am delighted to welcome SportCaller to Bally’s Interactive alongside Bet.Works and [DFS platform] Monkey Knife Fight,” George Papanier, Bally’s president and CEO said.
“F2P products represent a core component of our interactive strategy to drive user acquisition to Bally’s ecosystem.
“SportCaller offers unique products and I am confident that its pioneering platform and deep international expertise will significantly contribute to our growing interactive platforms,” he added.
Monkey Knife Fight will also form part of the Bally’s Interactive division, having been acquired by the casino operator back in January.
“Joining Bally’s is a milestone moment for the SportCaller team,” said SportCaller founder and MD Cillian Barry.
“I look forward to working with Bally’s talented team as we continue to create an innovative F2P product that engages sports fans on a global scale,” he added.
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