Playmaker Capital Inc., the digital sports media company that lives at the intersection of sports, betting, media and technology, has broadened its range of core competencies with the acquisition of leading digital product agency Two-Up Agency Ltd. (“Two-Up”). Two-Up provides technical solutions to the online gaming industry’s biggest brands, bringing best-in-class technology tools and in-depth knowledge and expertise of the market to clients including News International, BetGenius, William Hill, AtTheRaces, SkyBet, and Sporting Solutions.
Two-Up was founded in 2016 by gaming technology expert Robbie Morris who now joins the Playmaker leadership team. Playmaker’s acquisition of Two-Up will add a team of 24 experienced sales and technology experts spread across two primary offices in London, UK and Krakow, Poland. This team includes 15 engineers with deep experience in the development of regulated betting products, monetization tools, free-to-play games, and APIs into major real money gaming operators.
Two-Up owns an unrivalled collective expertise of the complex market within which the business operates. Among the specialist skills Two-Up provides its clients are contextual ad widgets, including integrated betslips with conversion and tracking management; the creation, production and integration of scoreboard and data visualizations; product development, including native content, through sports, casino, bingo and esports; and free-to-play application builder services, all supported through a series of back-end engines and content management systems.
Within the Playmaker ecosystem, Two-Up’s core technology products will be integrated into Playmaker’s newly announced proprietary technology stack, Playmaker Bench. Playmaker Bench features a collection of best-in-class technology tools, integrated into a proprietary software platform that is designed to enhance user engagement and supercharge monetization. Two-Up’s myriad of products and areas of technical expertise will offer immediate value add to Playmaker Bench.
“Playmaker is a natural fit for Two-Up. We complement the existing strengths within Playmaker well, and, as part of the Playmaker Bench technology suite, we will enhance Playmaker’s monetization efforts across owned and operated properties,” commented Robbie Morris, Founder and CEO of Two-Up. “We’re excited and delighted to become a part of the Playmaker family. This opportunity will allow us to strengthen our core competencies, meaning existing and future clients will continue to benefit from what we set out to deliver in 2016, which is a first-class service.”
“I am pleased to welcome Two-Up into the Playmaker family, and am excited about how Robbie and his team will help bolster Playmaker’s technology offering,” added Jordan Gnat, Playmaker Founder and CEO. “Two-Up has deep relevance, credibility and unrivalled connections within the online gaming world globally. With this acquisition, we have added yet more value to our shareholders, and taken another step towards achieving our mission of building an ecosystem of assets that will provide sports fans and our clients with outsized value.”
TRANSACTION DETAILS
Pursuant to the terms of a purchase agreement dated August 31, 2021, Playmaker acquired 100% of Two-Up for aggregate consideration of up to US$5.75 million. The purchase price consideration consisted of a payment of US$750,000 in cash, the issuance of US$2.5 million of Playmaker common shares (the “Playmaker Shares”) at the Canadian dollar equivalent of CAD$0.60 per Playmaker Share and up to a maximum of US$2.5 million in the form of an earn-out, payable to the sellers upon Two-Up achieving certain EBITDA and revenue targets over the three-year period following closing. In addition, the sellers are eligible to receive a bonus earn-out in the event the EBITDA and revenue targets are exceeded.
