The interactive gaming industry is growing and the capitalization of this sector has increased significantly over the past few years. If previously many were sure that online gambling would not exceed the sphere of land-based casinos in terms of capitalization, today everything is going exactly to that. The COVID-19 pandemic, which made online gambling more popular, brought significant changes.
The period of 2020-2022 was a very productive one for the online gambling industry. In addition to the increased number of players who have appreciated the benefits of online gambling, large companies have become interested in this field. Throughout the year 2022, it was possible to observe major game-changing deals in one way or another. The merger of several big players into one giant could cause another breakthrough in the industry.
Why big deals in iGaming are so important?
A deal happens when one company is interested in buying another. For example, gamblers use the services of a particular online casino or betting company. The gaming platform is operated by the company that created it. At one point, information appears that the rights to that casino or betting company have been sold to another company. For the gambler, in fact, nothing changes, he leaves himself the opportunity to play interesting games for real money or free. But it all depends on how the new owner will manage the business.
The main thing is that the deal can make the gaming platform better. As a rule, large companies acquire several iGaming companies at once. The thing to understand here is that online casinos are not only about interesting games from different providers, but also about technology and patents. A gaming platform can offer customers unique entertainment, have the rights to some prestigious tournaments, and use their own technology. Only gamers of a single, specific gaming platform can have access to all of this. Once the companies are merged, all of these unique services will be available to a larger number of gamblers.
“Taking over a company doesn’t always bring positive change. The new manager may lay off specialists, reduce the number of services and lower their quality. Nevertheless, more often than not, a major transaction leads to another breakthrough. By combining efforts and resources, new games of chance, tournaments, and unprecedented promotions can be created”, Charles Moore.
There have been some very big deals during 2022 that could change the rules of the game in the industry. Below, our experts have prepared up-to-date information as of the end of 2022.
Major iGaming Deals 2022 — Top 5
As the field of online gambling is constantly evolving and capitalization is growing, so are the amounts during the deals reaching incredible marks. We have selected for you the top 5 best deals that completed in the gambling market in 2022.
5. International Game Technology acquires iSoftBet
The deal took place in July 2022, the famous gambling developer IGT absorbs iSoftBet. The amount of the deal reached the value of 160 million euros. This is a significant event, as IGT has now become one of the largest providers of gambling games for online casinos. After the purchase, the provider’s catalog has more than 225 original games. Also, it will significantly increase the quality of future developments, because after the purchase of iSoftBet, the new owner can use unique technologies and patents.
4. Evolution absorbs slot machine developer NoLimit City
Evolution is a large developer of games for live casinos. The games of this provider are noted by many awards, offer to gamblers unique features, qualitative graphics, work of professional dealers. Earlier, the company created only games with live dealer, but soon began to focus on other content. Evolution has already absorbed the developers of slots: Big Time Gaming, NetEnt and Red Tiger. In 2022 there was a deal to buy the provider NoLimit City for 340 million euros.
NoLimit City is a developer of original slot machines with unique mechanics. After the purchase, Evolution strengthens its leading position in the online gambling market and offers customers more interesting games. The representatives of Evolution stated that the next purchase is in accordance with the strategy of the company. The main purpose of this strategy is to provide the best gaming content to gamblers.
3. Flutter Entertainment takes over Sisal
Flutter Entertainment is a Dublin-based online gaming and sports betting company. In 2022, Flutter Entertainment is acquiring Italian online gambling operator Sisal for a price of 1.9 billion euros. This big deal is necessary for the company to be able to cover a large part of the gambling market in the world. Flutter Entertainment’s main goal and strategy has always been to try to be present in all regulated markets in Europe, Canada, and the United States. The deal opens up the opportunity to provide players with access to popular sports betting in Italy. The value of the deal stems from the fact that Sisal has shown steady growth in profitability over the past few years. For 2021, the company’s profits increased by 58%, leading to an increase in its price on the market.
2. 888 Holdings has completed its deal to buy William Hill
888 Holdings is one of the largest companies in the world, specializing in betting and gambling. In 2022, it completes the takeover of the American company William Hill, which was formerly owned by Caesars Entertainment. The total amount of the deal reached the value of 2.25 billion euros. William Hill is a company that specializes in sports betting and is one of the industry leaders. The takeover of such a giant opens new growth prospects for 888 Holdings. As stated by Itai Pazner, Chairman of 888 Holdings, this purchase will combine assets, professionals, and technology to provide customers with even more interesting content in the gambling industry.
1. Brookfield Business Partners has completed the purchase of Scientific Games’ lottery business
Scientific Games is a major U.S. corporation operating in the gambling industry. In 2021, the company said that it intended to sell its lottery business, which had shown record growth in profitability. Brookfield Business Partners, headquartered in Bermuda, was interested in the proposal. The deal was done in 2022 and the amount reached a record 5.7 billion euros. It is one of the biggest deals of the past few years.
Buying the lottery business allows Brookfield Business Partners to expand its capabilities and provide more interesting content to gamblers. Also, this acquisition gives the company access to the global market of gambling entertainment.
New trends in online gambling in 2022
In addition to major deals, the online gambling industry in 2022 has started to actively develop and utilize new technologies. Unique technological solutions make the gameplay more interesting, which attracts the attention of gamblers. It is important that new trends in the interactive gambling industry become the basis for incredible prospects in the near future. Already today, the online casino gives the gambler much more than the land-based gambling houses. The onlinecasinospot.ca team has gathered up-to-date information about the latest innovations that are being actively used in online gambling in 2022.
One of the new trends in the field of gambling is the iPad casino. Today, many connoisseurs of gambling entertainment prefer to enjoy the game through portable devices. The most popular gadget is the iPad. This is not surprising, because it has a large touch screen, a lot of graphic functions, the ability to connect to the Internet. Also, the iPad runs on iOS—one of the best operating systems in the world. So your game will not freeze and take away your sense of excitement.
“iPad Casino is the perfect way to enjoy your favourite gambling games from your mobile device. Due to the presence of a large screen, the tablet gets an advantage in the convenience of the game over other mobile devices. The variety of iPad casino apps available to Canadian players allows them to choose the one that perfectly suits their needs and preferences,” says casino expert web portal onlinecasinospot.ca, Robert Lewis.
If you have an iPad and are a gambling enthusiast, then this innovation is definitely for you.
4. Active support for crypto-tokens
Previously, payments at online casinos could only be made using standard fiat currencies. The gambler had the option to use bank cards, e-wallets and prepaid vouchers to make deposits as well as withdraw winnings. All these financial operations were accompanied by certain difficulties for the gambler. That said, each online casino in Canada has its own list of payment methods available. Cryptocurrency has taken casino payments to a new level, providing instant payments with minimal fees. Nevertheless, progress is unstoppable, gaming platforms in 2022 are actively offering gamblers to make payments using crypto-tokens.
A crypto-token is a blockchain version of coins that are very convenient to use. Players are able to make instant deposits and withdraw winnings, avoiding large commissions. The main difference between crypto-tokens and regular coins is that transactions here are much faster and more secure. Online casinos first started using crypto tokens in 2021, but in 2022 the number of gaming platforms with such payment methods increased.
3. VR games
Virtual reality games continue to capture the hearts of Canadian gamblers. They first started talking about such gambling entertainment in 2019, although at that time no developer offered VR games to gamers. At the time, the cost of equipment to access VR was high, so the games could not be called relevant. Each year, the number of hardware manufacturers increased and their costs decreased. By early 2022, many developers were offering games with VR technology to gamers. NetEnt was the first company to offer its slot machine Gonzo’s Quest in VR format.
2. Artificial Intelligence Technology
AI technology is actively used in online casinos in Canada, it improves the quality of gaming content and increases security. In 2022, gaming platforms are using AI to learn their customers’ preferences. The program analyses vast amounts of data, identifies patterns, and predicts user actions with incredible accuracy. This enables the gaming platform to create an up-to-date selection of game content for each gambler.
Additionally, AI increases the security of the gaming process. Most fraudulent schemes stopped working after the AI started analysing the data. All attempts to cheat players are accompanied by the same actions. As a result, a pattern emerges that will be detected by the artificial intelligence in a matter of seconds.
1. Interactive live sports betting
The good news for sports betting fans from Canada is that bookmakers are starting to use interactive live-streaming. On the website of the bookmaker’s office, you can choose a sporting event, and then start its special broadcast. In addition to live broadcast of the event itself, the player also receives certain tools. It became possible to make bets during the event itself. For example, when a penalty kick is assigned in soccer, the gambler can make his bet, whether it will be productive. Technology allows the player to take a direct part in the event, not just watch its progress.
It is also important that during the broadcast, the gambler has access to up-to-date analytics and can accurately predict the outcome. Sports experts in the course of the game can predict the possible outcome with incredible accuracy. This is good news for the gambler, as the chances of winning increase.
Conclusion
In 2022, there have been many significant deals in the iGaming industry. This proves that the interactive gambling industry is evolving and is able to offer the gambler something new. The capitalization of the gambling market increases every year, which in turn provokes development. The evolution of gambling can be seen even today, there are many new technologies in online casinos, they make the games more interesting and increase security.
