Scientific Games acquires SidePlay Entertainment

(PRESS RELEASE) -- Scientific Games Corporation announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire Sideplay Entertainment, a leading digital "eInstant" content studio, to expand Scientific Games' portfolio of iLottery content and accelerate the global market penetration of its iLottery business, subject to final regulatory approval. The combination of Sideplay's innovative portfolio of digital games and agile content distribution technology with Scientific Games' iLottery platforms and digital solutions is expected to increase player engagement and drive further growth of the Company's iLottery solutions in markets around the world.

Success as an interactive innovator and integrator of digital assets has enabled Scientific Games Lottery Group to become an industry leading provider of iLottery solutions for over 20 lotteries globally. Sideplay is the primary supplier of digital eInstant games to the UK National Lottery, one of the largest interactive lotteries in the world. In North America, Scientific Games is the exclusive distributor of Sideplay's top-performing content for industry-leading iLottery programs, including the Pennsylvania Lottery and Loto-Québec.

Through this acquisition, Scientific Games Lottery Group expects to expand its share in digital lottery markets while bringing Sideplay's library of innovative content to iLottery programs around the globe. The addition of digital game server content distribution technology to Scientific Games' existing digital tech stack will also allow for increased speed-to-market.

"We're excited to welcome Steve Hickson and the entire Sideplay team to Scientific Games Lottery Group to 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," said Pat McHugh, Lottery Group Chief Executive for Scientific Games. "Sideplay's highly-experienced digital game developers have a proven track record of delivering exceptional iLottery content to market quickly. We have already integrated Sideplay's digital games into our iLottery platforms, and combining their unique approach to game development for Scientific Games' more than 20 iLottery customers worldwide will accelerate our iLottery offerings for our customers and their players."

Steve Hickson, Founder and Director of Sideplay, and the entire Sideplay team will join Scientific Games Lottery.

"All of us at Sideplay are thrilled to be joining forces with Scientific Games Lottery Group, one of the world's leading lottery suppliers," said Hickson. "Our goal has always been to be the best at what we do, and this transaction shows that we have in fact achieved that level of success. We are excited to leverage Scientific Games' global lottery footprint and create the future of iLottery together."

Since 2003, the Sideplay team has launched more than 270 instant win games for leading lottery and gambling operators around the world. Those games have been played over 100 million times, producing meaningful revenue for Sideplay's customers.

Scientific Games launched the first digital instant game in the U.S. in 2014, and is the leading provider of lottery interactive games, mobile apps, player loyalty programs and other interactive products and services in the U.S. lottery industry.