FanDuel acquires BeyondPlay as US operator seeks igaming gains
Flutter Entertainment-owned operator snaps up three-year-old jackpot and multiplayer gaming supplier led by former LeoVegas head Karolina Pelc
US online giant FanDuel has acquired supplier BeyondPlay for an undisclosed sum, marking a landmark moment for the Karolina Pelc-founded startup.
BeyondPlay was established in 2021 by the former LeoVegas and SG Digital head and has since grown to a team of 40 employees.
Alongside CEO Pelc, the BeyondPlay senior team includes ex-William Hill head of gaming Jacqui Gatt as COO and former Casumo manager Alison Lowell as head of employee experience.
The acquisition will see BeyondPlay become part of FanDuel Casino as the leading US sports betting operator strives to build igaming momentum.
BeyondPlay currently offers two flagship products in the shape of a jackpot management system and social gaming product.
The jackpot tool allows partners, and now FanDuel Casino, to develop “highly customised” jackpot campaigns, while the social gaming product lets multiple players participate in the same online casino session.
BeyondPlay’s clients include LeoVegas, Casumo, and ComeOn. The supplier is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission, the Malta Gaming Authority, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, and Spelinspektionen in Sweden.
In April, BeyondPlay secured €5m ($5.4m) in an oversubscribed funding round led by Bettor Capital.
Fellow VC firms Tigrim Capital and Winforton Investments also pledged capital, while Alea founder Alexandre Tomic, Sportingbet founder Mark Blandford, and Huddle investor Feda Mecan all took part.
According to a Q4 trading update published by Flutter in January, FanDuel Casino is the number two igaming brand in the US, with a market share of 26%. This compares to 43% market share for sports betting based on gross revenue.
Flutter, which recently listed in New York, also noted this represented a five-percentage point increase on FanDuel Casino’s market share in Q4 2022.
FanDuel is currently live with online casino in five US states – New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Virginia, and Connecticut – that account for 11.5% of the US population.
At the time, Flutter CEO Peter Jackson said the brand was continuing to go from “strength to strength”.
BeyondPlay confirmed that following the acquisition the focus will remain on product development and innovation.
Pelc stressed FanDuel’s swoop for the supplier validates the “hard work and dedication of [the] team and the vision behind our products”.
Pelc said: “As a founder, witnessing the journey of our startup from its humble beginnings to becoming part of the world’s leading online sports betting and igaming company is an incredibly gratifying experience.
“We are excited to join forces with FanDuel Casino to amplify the impact of our technology on a global scale. This milestone marks not just the culmination of our tireless efforts but also the beginning of an exciting new chapter,” she added.
Asaf Noifeld, FanDuel Casino MD, commented: “I’m absolutely delighted with the acquisition of BeyondPlay. Our US strategy is about investing to win, and continuously improving our igaming proposition for our customers is a key part of that.
“This acquisition further strengthens FanDuel Casino’s leading customer experience by adding BeyondPlay’s best-in-class jackpots and multiplayer technology.
“We’re also excited to welcome their experienced team to FanDuel and look forward to working together to continue to grow our rising share of the US igaming market,” the MD concluded.