Lottery provider ZEAL Group has expanded its portfolio of investments by acquiring a stake in UK-licensed start-up Circl Gaming.
The investment by ZEAL Ventures includes financial support as well as exchange of experience and knowledge in strategy, regulation, marketing and process optimization.
Licensed by Britain’s Gambling Commission, Circl is the developer of a real-time game that allows players to participate in games during Premier League football matches via a mobile app.
Circl uses micro-events in live football (such as corners, goals, free kicks, yellow cards) to create a game that offers a unique gaming experience based on random chance. While Circl was originally intended as a competition for groups of friends, players can now play in larger Circls to play and chat with other players across the UK.
“We are pleased to add Circl, another promising start-up, to our portfolio with immediate effect,” said ZEAL Ventures investment director Dirk Reiche. “The development of the gaming industry has picked up speed in recent years and has produced numerous visionary technical innovations.
“This is crucial for our industry, as the future of the market is taking place online. For this reason, we look forward to working with Circl and mutually sharing ideas for an even more diverse gaming and entertainment experience in the future.”
Circl Gaming chief technical officer Mark Quinn commented: “The partnership with ZEAL is a huge step forward towards growing Circl internationally. The founding team are delighted to be working with ZEAL Ventures.
“The expertise they bring from the lottery and gambling sector is going to be invaluable to us as we continue to scale Circl and bring great new products to the market. The support they will bring is not just financial, it will help with every pillar of our business.”
Shares in ZEAL Network SE (FRA:TIM) were trading 0.51 per cent lower at €29.45 per share in Frankfurt Friday morning.