Exacta Solutions explore key factors influencing recent M&A trends

The iGaming industry saw a record number of mergers and acquisitions in 2021. Several major deals closed, each of which has helped to shape the industry we see today.

Launched in 2019, Malta-based Exacta Solutions has been providing strategic M&A support and facilitating meaningful M&A discussions between iGaming businesses and investors.

“M&A has become an integral part of an iGaming company’s growth trajectory. Given the rapid regulatory changes and new commercial trends in the sector, more companies are looking towards M&A opportunities to keep pace with competitors and the industry at large. When approached with the right strategy and mindset, M&As provide operators with a golden opportunity to scale up, leverage established deals, broaden their services and products, and reach new international audiences,” explains Chris Vella, Co-Founder of Exacta Solutions.

The M&A side of the business has continued to grow at such a steady clip that Exacta Solutions has recently recruited Mark O’Sullivan in the role of M&A Manager. O’Sullivan, who has extensive experience as a Specialist Advisor to Gaming businesses, possesses in-depth knowledge of the iGaming industry and the trends shaping it.

“Beyond some of the mammoth acquisitions we’ve seen, a number of innovative companies have successfully raised finance and come to the forefront of an industry that drastically needed new ideas. The re-ignited US market has been a key driver in the establishment of technology and data-led products and marketing companies. For example, affiliates have become an important part of operators’ business models in new markets in the US and Latin America. If we take the US as an example, CPA is through the roof and stickiness is low at best,” O’Sullivan explains.

Discussing other recent M&A trends, Vella and O’Sullivan point towards the rise of esports, video gaming, emerging technologies in the blockchain space, and a growing interest in innovative gaming products as other key factors which are set to influence a growing number of mergers throughout 2022.