9 Sep

Scientific Games Acquires Sideplay Entertainment

SG scores propitious acquisition of Sidepaly eInstant games studio.

SG Scores Propitious Acquisition of Sidepaly eInstant Games StudioScientific Games is a company built on a foundation of mergers and acquisitions. It began as a small manufacturing unit, producing the world’s first instant lottery ticket in 1974. In 2000, that company was the subject of an acquisition by the near century-old Aututote Corporation. A year later, Aututote chose to drop its own name in favor of Scientific Games. Over the next two decades, SG acquired many electronic and digital manufacturing brands; so many, it now operates in essentially every gambling development field on the planet.

This week, the group expanded its operations with yet another propitious purchase. Scientific acquired Sideplay Entertainment, an “eInstant” content studio that focuses on the development of immersive entertainment, mostly for lottery organizations.

SG Scores Sideplay eInstant Games Studio

The online gambling industry has proven to be one of the fastest growing industries in the history of technology. In recent years, its rapid advancement is credited largely to the establishment of a globally, widely regulated iGaming market. Combine this with the rate of growth in online and virtual technology, and it’s little wonder the mobile gaming sector is actually outpacing land-based casino operations.

Founded in 2003, Sideplay Entertainment is a digital gaming content studio with an impressive portfolio of instant win games. It’s most popular titles include, for instance, games like Bubble Burst Bingo, Mouse Trap, Release the Kraken, and Sherluck Holmes.

What makes smaller, independent studios like Sideplay so appealing to juggernauts like Scientific Games is their multi-faceted abilities. The creative team at Sideplay conceptualizes its products. They design them from the ground floor up. They then develop them for retail, computer and mobile platforms. Finally, they test each and every one for payout precision before it ever leaves the studio. Sideplay’s production of over 270 instant in games have been so well received, the company eventually grew to be the largest supplier of games to the UK National Lottery.

An Easy Choice for Scientific Games

The acquisition of the eInstant content studio was an easy choice for the global gaming giant. With it, Scientific will combine its technologies with that of Sideplay to produce fresh iLottery content across digital markets world wide.

We’re excited to welcome Steve Hickson and the entire Sideplay team to Scientific Games Lottery Group,” said SG’s Lottery Group CEO, Pat McHugh. He believes this latest acquisition will “help us advance our strategy as a growth company, delivering the best retail and digital content platforms and game category services that maximize proceeds for our lottery customers.”

McHugh goes on to highlight the company’s impression of the deal. “Sideplay’s highly experienced digital game developers have a proven track record of delivering exceptional iLottery content to market quickly.”

This is the second notable acquisition by SG in the last three weeks. Mid-August saw the company buying up one of its long-time partners, Lightning Box Games. Based in Australia, Lightning Box is another independent supplier of digital gambling games, with more than 75 online and mobile slot machines. Its most popular titles include Kalahari Safari, Blown Away, Eagle Sun, Chicken Fox, and Astro Cat Deluxe.

According to another recent company disclosure, Scientific Games isn’t just buying up eInstant games studios and other software labs. They’re also on a strategic mission to divest of certain assets. Members of the board have agreed, in particular, that their sports betting wing is weighing the company down.

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