Aristocrat completes Big Fish social casino deal

Jan 10, 2018 Newsdesk Latest News, Top of the deck, World  

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Australia-based slot machine maker Aristocrat Leisure Ltd said on Wednesday it had completed its acquisition of social casino firm Big Fish Games Inc after all conditions for the deal had been satisfied.

“Big Fish will immediately provide scale across our entire digital platform, and our social casino business will become the second-largest social casino publisher globally,” commented Trevor Croker, the group’s chief executive and managing director, in a prepared statement in a company filing to the Australian Securities Exchange.

Aristocrat had outlined in late November a US$990-million cash offer for Big Fish Games, a wholly-owned unit of U.S.-based horse racetrack operator Churchill Downs Inc.

The slot machine maker had cited research from Eilers and Krejcik Gaming LLC in support of the assertion that the deal would make Aristocrat’s digital business the “second-largest social casino publisher globally by revenue”.

Big Fish’s technology is “highly complementary to Aristocrat’s existing and industry-leading land-based digital content business,” said Mr Croker in Wednesday’s statement.

Social casino gaming products commonly use online social media platforms for distribution, and are considered by traditional bricks and mortar casino operators and traditional casino equipment suppliers as a useful way to promote brand and product awareness; to encourage customers to use their products in traditional casinos; and to harvest data on players and their preferences. Some manufacturers have reportedly launched slot products on social casino platforms before introducing them to land-based casinos.

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