Industry News
Based in Malta, Maria Holdings owns the leading domain names mariabingo.com, mariacasino.com, carlospoker.com, carlosplace.com and bingo.se.
"With this acquisition we will strengthen our position in the Nordic region as well as within the fast growing online bingo market. Unibet is today the leading private gaming company among men, and with this acquisition we will also be leading among women," said Petter Nylander, CEO of Unibet Group.
The acquisition is part of Unibet group's global strategy to broaden its demographic coverage:
Unibet Group is one of the largest privately-owned gambling operators in the European market and provides services in 20 languages. The group is listed on the OMX Nordic Exchange in Stockholm. With more than 2.0 million customers in over 100 countries, Unibet is well known in the industry, and is the recipient of 2007's "Offline Marketing Campaign of the year" and 2006's "European Sportsbook of the Year" awards presented at the annual eGaming Awards.
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Bond Funding
The news comes just one week after Unibet said it was "looking to issue" a bond of up to 100 million euros, or $148.6 million, to fund acquisitions it said it was close to making."For some time now, the company has had discussions with a number of parties regarding strategic acquisitions and it is the board of directors' opinion that one or more of these acquisitions may be realized," Unibet said in a statement to the media.
For the first nine months of this year, total income for Maria Invest was SEK 77.1 million, about $10 million, and the operating profit was SEK 26.1 million, about $4 million. Total income during the third quarter 2007 was SEK 29.5 million, compared to SEK 6.5 million during the third quarter of 2006, a growth rate of 354%.
In the third quarter, Maria Invest had 176,361 registered customers and 11,659 active customers who were active during the last 3 months.
For the first nine months of 2007, total gross winnings revenue for Unibet Group PLC was about $100 million and the operating profit was approximately $30 million.
The company has developed a number of new games of late, as it continues to expand, according to executives there.
Income Access last month disclosed that Unibet Affiliate Program, its European online gaming operator, has introduced a new holiday-themed game and local poker payment service for European players of affiliates, called Reindeer Racing. Unibet is also debuting Poker in Euros to its expanding gaming network.
"With Unibet serving customers in over 100 countries and offering more than 20 languages on their site, the enhancements make this affiliate program an enticing opportunity for new players. The Unibet products are also bringing in new players who want to maximize their bankroll," says Nicky Senyard, Income Access CEO. "Paired with exciting tournaments and promotions, there's never been a better time."
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