LUCERNE, Switzerland, 5 February 2024 – Allwyn, a leading multi-national lottery operator headquartered in Switzerland, today announces that it has entered into an agreement with respect to Instant Win Gaming Limited (“IWG”) to enhance the group’s content offering. Allwyn is excited to partner with IWG’s co-founders, Rhydian Fisher and Simon Bucknall, to work on and explore new opportunities and drive innovation in the online instant win games space.
IWG is a leading supplier of online instant win games (otherwise known as e-Instants) to lotteries. IWG works with more than 25 national and state lotteries around the globe and has a strong North American presence. IWG is at the forefront of innovation in the sector and has developed a strong portfolio of games across numerous categories.
Stepan Dlouhy, Allwyn Chief Investment Officer said: “Allwyn’s agreement with IWG will enable us to create and leverage high-quality content throughout the group. This demonstrates our ambition to deliver the best user experience to players across our international markets, and to be the operator of choice. Rhydian and Simon bring a wealth of sector knowledge and creativity and we are excited to collaborate and explore new opportunities.”
Rhydian Fisher, IWG CEO, added: “We are thrilled to be partnering with Allwyn to take IWG’s success and proposition to the next level. Allwyn’s deep expertise and knowledge of the lottery consumer will help us to deliver immediate and significant value for our existing partners, while this step will also create new opportunities for the brilliant games our team develops.”
No changes will be made to IWG’s team following the investment by Allwyn. Co-founders Rhydian Fisher and Simon Bucknall will retain their roles as CEO and COO, respectively.
Allwyn has agreed to invest in IWG and, upon closing, will hold a 70% stake in the business. Allwyn will finance the investment using existing financial resources. The investment in IWG is anticipated to close in the second half of 2024, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. IWG reported earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation of £18.2m for the financial year ending 30 April 2023.
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About Allwyn
Allwyn is a leading multi-national lottery operator. Allwyn builds better lotteries that return more to good causes by focusing on innovation, technology, efficiency and safety across a growing casual gaming entertainment portfolio. The lottery-first approach of focusing on affordable recreational play has earned Allwyn leading market positions with trusted brands across Europe in Austria, Czech Republic, Greece and Cyprus, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States (Illinois).
About Instant Win Gaming
IWG is a leading supplier of digital e-Instant and instant win games to WLA and NASPL-member lotteries. It has 20 years’ experience of making top selling, high quality games and the strategic know how to make them work. Each year, IWG develops more than 250 new InstantGames™ for its global base of lottery customers. Its games consistently perform at the highest level, engaging and retaining players while driving superior sales results. It has the knowledge to deliver winning game portfolios, and the experience to make them grow. IWG delivers an end-to-end solution covering all aspects of e-Instant development and portfolio management. The Company’s InstantRGS™ (remote game server) delivers its content in multiple regulated jurisdictions from data centers in the UK, Gibraltar, Canada and North America. It has a broad library available via its InstantRGS with games covering many proven themes and mechanics that can be developed into an ideal offering for a partner’s eInstant and/or instant win program.
Forward-Looking Statements
This announcement may include forward-looking statements regarding certain of our plans and our current goals, intentions, beliefs and expectations concerning, among other things, our future results of operation, financial condition, liquidity, prospects, growth, strategies, pending acquisitions or other transactions (including regarding the completion of the announced investment in IWG), financing plans and the industries in which we operate. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate only to historical or current facts. Generally, but not always, words such as “may,” “could,” “should,” “will,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “assume,” “believe,” “plan,” “seek,” “continue,” “target,” “goal,” “would” or their negative variations or similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. We caution you that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and that our actual results of operations, financial condition and liquidity and the development of the industries in which we operate may differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward-looking statements contained in this announcement. In addition, even if our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity and the development of the industries in which we operate are consistent with the forward-looking statements contained in this document, those past results or developments may not be indicative of results or developments in future periods. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described in the “Risk Factors” section of the annual report published by Allwyn International a.s. and other documents we publish on our website. Most of these factors are outside our control and are difficult to predict.
We do not undertake any obligation to review, update or confirm expectations or estimates or to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that arise after the date of this document.
