Latest News

PLAYMAKER ACQUIRES MAJOR NORTH AMERICAN SPORTS MEDIA DESTINATION YARDBARKER AND EMAIL NEWSLETTER ‘THE MORNING BARK’

Published

4 years ago

July 28, 2021

Playmaker Capital Inc. (TSX-V: PMKR) (“Playmaker”) is pleased to announce today that it has acquired the California-based sports and entertainment digital media business, YB Media LLC (d.b.a. Yardbarker) (“Yardbarker”). With its comprehensive North American sports and entertainment focus and highly engaged fan base, Yardbarker represents an integral pillar of Playmaker’s growth ambitions and a strong platform from which it will continue to expand its U.S. presence and build its global sports media ecosystem.

Yardbarker is a premier U.S. sports and entertainment media platform, attracting over four million unique users per month and generating more than nine million total sessions across its primarily NFL, NBA, MLB, College Sports, and NHL content offerings. The company’s core editorial focus is to create and surface timely, engaging, and relevant news and analysis to its users in a fun and efficient format. The platform publishes over 25,000 full-text articles per month through a combination of its in-house editorial team and 125+ content syndication partner sites, while also augmenting traditional coverage with a collection of over 5,000 sports and entertainment quizzes and slideshows. The unique content mix allows Yardbarker to offer a differentiated user experience and generate high engagement and interaction rates among its audiences.

The Morning Bark, Yardbarker’s daily email newsletter, reaches more than 350,000 subscribers with open rates in excess of 25%. The all-in-one email product features a Top 10 rundown of the most important stories of the day and a customizable newsfeed that allows users to keep track of their favourite sports, schools and teams. A significant driver of traffic to the website, The Morning Bark serves as a low-cost, repeatable, first-party user acquisition tool.

“We believe that Playmaker is in the process of building the next great collection of digital sports assets and we couldn’t be more excited to be joining at this early stage,” Yardbarker’s CEO Ben Maggin said. “We look forward to working with the Playmaker team to continue expanding Yardbarker’s reach and deliver the best possible service to our fans.”

Yardbarker was founded in 2006 and its three current owners, Jeff Kloster, Mark Johns and Ben Maggin, bring deep experience and knowledge of the digital sports media arena to the Playmaker senior leadership team.

“We are delighted to welcome Yardbarker to the Playmaker family. This is a U.S. platform acquisition for us that is not only transformational, but also immediately financially accretive to our shareholders,” commented Jordan Gnat, Playmaker Founder and CEO. “Ben, Jeff and Mark have built a great business with incredibly loyal fans. Playmaker will be able to leverage Yardbarker’s content of all the key North American sports within our current Futbol Sites’ assets and vice versa. This is how we will build our ecosystem. We will cross pollinate our various properties to provide all our fans globally with the best content on all sports.”

Transaction Details
Pursuant to the terms of a letter of intent dated June 7, 2021, and a purchase agreement dated July 26, 2021, Playmaker acquired 100% of Yardbarker for aggregate consideration of up to US$24 million. The purchase price consideration consisted of a payment of US$10 million in cash and the issuance of US$8 million of Playmaker common shares (the “Initial Shares”) on closing, an additional US$2 million of Playmaker common shares (the “Contingent Shares”) to be issued to the sellers upon Yardbarker achieving a minimum EBITDA of US$1.5 million within the 12-month period following closing and up to US$2 million, payable to the sellers based on Yardbarker’s performance toward an EBITDA target of US$2.5 million in each of the two years following closing. The Initial Shares were priced at the equivalent of CAD$0.55 per share. The Contingent Shares will be priced at the greater of CAD$0.60 per share or the trailing 30 day average, volume adjusted, share price of the common shares of Playmaker prior to such issuance.

For the 2021 calendar year, Yardbarker is anticipated to generate revenue of approximately US$5 million.

The acquisition of Yardbarker by Playmaker is a non-arms-length transaction and there is no finder’s fee to be distributed. Playmaker will not be assuming any long-term debt in connection with the transaction.

Stake - Best Online Casino & Sports Betting Platform

Latest News

Inspired Partners with Jogo de Ouro in Brazil

Published

14 hours ago

July 18, 2025

George Miller

Inspired Partners with Jogo de Ouro in Brazil

Inspired Entertainment, Inc., a leading provider of B2B gaming content, systems, and solutions, is excited to announce a new partnership with Jogo de Ouro, a Brazilian-based sportsbook and casino operator, to bring Inspired’s acclaimed slot titles to its players.

This partnership signals a major step forward in Inspired’s growth strategy, as the market expands during its new era of regulation. With this launch, Jogo de Ouro’s players in Brazil will now have access to Inspired’s rapidly expanding catalogue of online slot content, including hit titles such as Golden Winner™ (Campeão de Ouro), Big Piggy Bank™ (Super Confrinho da Sorte), Big Fishing Fortune™ (Super Pescaria da Fortuna), alongside global fan favourites like Gold Cash Free Spins™ (Grana de Ouro Giros Gratis), Cops ‘n’ Robbers Big Money™ (Policia e Ladrao Muita Grana), and more.

Jogo de Ouro will feature regular content releases from Inspired, giving its players access to a variety of new experiences, including proven, high-performing global hits. The portfolio blends iconic classics, innovative features, and seasonal favourites, all designed with high-impact mechanics that drive both engagement and retention. The partnership with Jogo de Ouro broadens Inspired’s global footprint and brings proven content to one of the most promising iGaming markets, in the world.

Claire Osborne, Vice President of Interactive at Inspired Entertainment, said: “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Jogo de Ouro to bring our diverse games portfolio to Brazilian audiences. From player-favourite classics to fun seasonal titles, our games are crafted for engagement and have proven performance. This collaboration will deliver exceptional entertainment experiences to Jogo de Ouro’s players.”

Flavio Sukar, CEO at Jogo de Ouro, added: “This partnership positions Jogo de Ouro at the forefront of Brazilian iGaming, delivering top-tier casino content to our players. We’re proud to partner with Inspired, and we look forward to bringing their high-quality games and regular new releases to audiences across the country.”

Latest News

Brightstar Lottery Modernizes Retail and Digital Solutions for Missouri Lottery with OMNIA Deployment

Published

16 hours ago

July 18, 2025

Niji Narayan

Brightstar Lottery PLC announced that it will deploy its fully-integrated lottery solution, OMNIA, to modernize retail and digital solutions for the Missouri Lottery via an eight-year contract. OMNIA seamlessly connects retail and digital lottery channels and was designed to simplify operations and elevate player experiences. Brightstar will also enhance the Missouri Lottery’s digital program to include Connected Play, second-chance promotions and loyalty program.

“For more than 30 years, the Missouri Lottery has relied on Brightstar’s world-class technology and insight to help contribute more than $8.5 billion to public education throughout our state. We are excited to build upon this long-term partnership over the course of the next eight years and deliver new, premier experiences for our players,” said Lester Elder, Missouri Lottery Executive Director.

“Brightstar is honored to support the Missouri Lottery as it embraces the evolving lottery landscape and implements innovative solutions that will increase flexibility to manage its operations and engage players in new ways. We look forward to delivering these high-performing solutions, while helping the Lottery achieve its goals of maximizing funds to education,” said Scott Gunn, Brightstar Chief Operating Officer North America Lottery.

Brightstar will also deliver new retailer equipment including 5250 Retailer Pro S2s, 2220 GameTouch 28s, 75 GameTouch 20s, 250 GameTouch Draws, 1250 Digital Menu Boards, and an enhanced communications network. These solutions drive player engagement and offer versatility, reliability, and convenience, backed by the high performance and integrity of Brightstar’s market-leading central system.

Brightstar serves nearly 90 lottery customers and their players on six continents. It is the primary technology provider to 26 of the 46 lottery jurisdictions in the US and seven of the world’s 10 largest lotteries.

Latest News

Scientific Games Launches SG Content Hub in Columbia

Published

17 hours ago

July 18, 2025

Niji Narayan

Scientific Games has launched the SG Content Hub in the District of Columbia, offering a curated selection of exciting games to DC Lottery players who play online. The lottery industry’s premier content aggregator brings digital games from Scientific Games and game studios worldwide to players, including the company’s own portfolio of more than 250 eInstant games from SG Studios and a suite of licensed brands. DC players are enjoying the new Mayhem Madness game from SG Studios, with Candy Coated Cash and Witchy Wins coming this fall.

The SG Content Hub launch expands Scientific Games’ longtime relationship with the DC Lottery for DC Scratchers games that began with the Lottery’s start-up in 1982.

The world’s largest lottery games company developed the SG Content Hub to serve the rapidly expanding digital lottery channel with a broad variety of engaging, unique iLottery game experiences. The SG Content Hub operates seamlessly with lottery gaming systems technology and iLottery platforms.

Randy Burnside, DC Lottery Executive Director, said: “The DC Lottery is thrilled to offer our players a wide selection of new and exciting games through the SG Content Hub. We are building on our success with DC Scratchers from Scientific Games and the company’s deep understanding of lottery players and the entertainment experience.”

Since its inception in 1982, the DC Lottery has awarded more than $4.8 billion in prizes, transferred more than $2.4 billion to the District’s General Fund, which supports essential services in the District, generated more than $501.4 million in commissions for its retail business partners, and helped local nonprofits raise more than $139.5 million in support of social causes.

Matt Lynch, President, Digital for Scientific Games, said: “We are excited to bring our global expertise, content and technology to the DC Lottery with an evolutionary content aggregator developed to offer players an exciting portfolio of iLottery games, with the agility to adapt to play preferences and market trends. The engaging variety of digital lottery games offered through the SG Content Hub ensures long-term sustainable growth for the DC Lottery and its beneficiary programs in the District of Columbia.”