Kindred acquires Relax Gaming

Kindred Group has signed an agreement to acquire the remaining outstanding shares in Relax Gaming, a leading and rapidly growing B2B iGaming supplier.

Kindred has been invested in Relax Gaming since 2013 and the transaction will allow Kindred to acquire the remaining 66.6 per cent of the outstanding shares. The acquisition accelerates Kindred’s strategy to increase its focus on product and customer experience by strengthening Kindred’s product control and product differentiation capabilities.

The transaction values the company at up to EUR 320 million on a cash and debt free basis (Enterprise value) and a total value of the outstanding shares of approximately EUR 295 million (Equity value). Kindred will pay an initial consideration, settled in cash upon completion, of approximately EUR 80 million (on a cash and debt free basis).

In addition to the initial consideration, the maximum earn-out payments amount to EUR 113 million and may become payable in 2022 and 2023, subject to Relax Gaming achieving certain earnings thresholds. The transaction will be financed through Kindred’s existing cash and credit facilities.

“Through this acquisition we add a rapidly growing and profitable B2B business with a world-class product portfolio, giving us greater control over our casino, poker and bingo offering, putting Kindred in a significantly better position to achieve our long-term strategy to increase our focus on product differentiation and customer experience”, says Henrik Tjärnström, CEO at Kindred Group.

Ellex in Estonia advised Kindred Group on the deal. The team was led by Partner Sven Papp and included Senior Associates Gerda Liik, Hanna Pahk, Counsel Jaanus Ikla and Associate Merlin Liis-Toomela.

Kindred Group is one of the world’s leading online gambling operators with business across Europe, US and Australia, offering over 30 million customers across 9 brands a great form of entertainment in a safe, fair and sustainable environment.

Relax Gaming is a market leading B2B iGaming software supplier that designs and develops online casino games, supported by an open distribution platform for third party aggregation as well as proprietary poker and bingo products. The company was founded in 2010 and has today c. 240 full-time employees with four main hubs in Malta, Estonia, Sweden and Serbia. Kindred has been invested in Relax Gaming since 2013 and was prior to the transaction the largest owner with 33.4 per cent of the outstanding shares.