Sci Games snares North American sport bet data biz

Oct 10, 2018 Newsdesk Industry Talk, Latest News, Top of the deck, World  

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Scientific Games Corp continues to expand its digital footprint, this time by acquiring Don Best Sports Corp and DBS Canada Corp, collectively a supplier of instant betting data and pricing for North American sporting events.

Scientific Games, until recently best known for casino equipment and lottery services, issued a statement on Tuesday saying the purchase of the Don Best companies would expand its business-to-business sports betting offering and create new opportunities for the firm’s one-stop sports book shop.

The announcement said Scientific Games expected to complete the purchase this year. It did not give details on the consideration involved in the deal.

Scientific Games nonetheless confirmed the Don Best companies would become part of its SG Digital division and indicated the acquisition would allow the group to provide for consumers what it termed a European sports book-type experience, combined with U.S.-quality trading, data and pricing.

SG Digital said the Don Best companies had more than 20 years of experience in sports betting, and expertise that had enabled them to determine proper betting lines, track more than 100 worldwide sports book operators and provide tailored content to meet the needs of sports book operators.

The announcement from the Las Vegas, Nevada-based Scientific Games quoted SG Digital sports book senior vice-president Keith O’Loughlin as saying: “Don Best already seamlessly integrates into our OpenBet platform, so they will be able to hit the ground running and guide our customers through the process of launching a sports book,” once the deal closes.

“Moreover, upon completion of the acquisition, our customers will immediately benefit from their expertise and firm grip on real-time trading and the data that drives it. With Don Best’s talented employee base on board, we’ll use our global platforms and services to harness customer input and tailor our technology locally to meet their needs.”

The purchase of the Don Best companies is the latest in a series of recent acquisitions made by Scientific Games. In January, Scientific acquired NYX Gaming, a specialist in sports betting. Iin February it bought the majority stake in E-SYS Techologia EM Informática SA of Brazil, a video bingo content studio.

Scientific Games has also bolstered its management ranks, with several high profile appointments. SG Digital chose former Playtech executive Alexander Ambrose as chief financial officer earlier this month. Mr Ambrose has the job of propelling growth in online gambling – which is sometimes referred to as iGaming – and sports betting.

Elsewhere in the organisation, James Sottile was named chief legal officer and executive vice-president. Barry Cottle, Scientific Games’ current president and chief executive, moved into that role in June.

In August, Scientific Games – still highly leveraged after several years of growth via acquisition – reported a year-on-year reduction in its group-wide second-quarter net loss to US$5.8 million, down from US$39.1 million last year, led by its digital operation.

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