As we enter the first month of 2021 it’s safe to say that 2020 was a year not only marked by giant-sized challenges and a world turned completely topsy-turvey, but also – and even more so – by several big acquisitions and rebrands within the global casino industry.
A drive to diversify and succeed, often in the face of enormous difficulty, has seen the industry emerge a tenacious titan capable of surviving literally every conceivable curve ball.
Live casino specialists Evolution Gaming’s rebrand to simply “Evolution” was one of 2020’s biggest industry news stories.
The live casino developer in September announced that as from October 1st, 2020, it would no longer be including “Gaming” as part of its description and corporate branding, and that in future it would go by a much shorter “Evolution”.
The decision to re-brand, explained the company, had been driven by a need to much more accurately reflect the scope of its business activities. Evolution had in fact grown to become so much more than a live casino games developer – having positioned itself as a leading supplier of iGaming technology, a driver of innovation in the field of live casino entertainment, and even a preferred partner to operators hoping to bring their own offerings in line with the demands of a forever-evolving global player audience.
By rebranding, Evolution’s message to the industry was that of the company having grown far bigger than even its own expectations. Evolution remains a company focused on gaming, only now, its focus is no longer “gaming only”.
Remaining on the topic of Evolution, the live casino specialist provider and technology supplier even before its grand re-brand literally captured news headlines for months on end when it announced its intended acquisition of online slots giant NetEnt.
And since Evolution has now officially cleared the final regulatory hurdle – the all-clear from the UK’s competition commission – the road toward securing a 90%+ stake in one of the largest and most prominent iGaming developers in the world seems paved and prepared.
Big news to have hit our news screens more recently is that of U.S. casino giant Caesars Entertainment’s bid for British bookmaker William Hill.
Now confirmed the only contender left in the bidding race after the withdrawal of equity titan Apollo Global, Caesars Entertainment seems perfectly positioned to be declared the new majority-stake owner of one of the biggest and oldest sports betting and entertainment brands in the world.
What 2021 will bring remains to be seen, but for the live casino and iGaming sector, it can only be exciting!