Aristocrat Leisure is still making its foray into the real money online gambling space. But it’s no longer doing so all on its own.
On September 26, the company announced that it will acquire real money slots developer Roxor Gaming. Roxor began its life as a division of casino software supplier Gamesys. It was founded by Noel Hayden, who was the Executive Chairman of Gamesys at the time.
Hayden is now Chairman for Anzo Group, which de-merged from Gamesys in 2019. Roxor is currently one half of Anzo Group, the other brand being LiveScore Group, which is not part of the Aristocrat deal.
Regarding the acquisition, Hayden said:
I am delighted to see this deal signed as I feel it brings together two great companies that complement each other perfectly. Roxor holds a very important place in my heart as the team and the games we have built, have delivered so much to so many over the last twenty years. I couldn’t be more excited for Roxor Gaming and the road ahead.
Aristocrat is primarily a retail slots manufacturer best known for its fan-favorite Buffalo series. It began trying to make its way into the online space through an attempted takeover of Playtech, which failed to go through.
At that point, it announced a “build-and-buy” strategy instead. The “build” portion is already underway; Bonus reported in August that the company was attempting to hire a Head of Product for the new division. It has now successfully filled that position.
The acquisition of Roxor represents the beginning of the “buy” portion of the strategy. Anzo Group is a privately held company, so the deal’s financial terms haven’t been made public.
Roxor’s Connection to Gamesys Remains Strong
Despite the de-merger, Roxor retains a close relationship with Gamesys. Its US presence currently appears to be limited to those NJ online casinos operating on the Gamesys platform. Those are:
Bally’s acquired Gamesys in 2021 as part of its own foray into the iGaming space. Virgin, which had until that point been partnered with Tropicana, migrated to the Bally’s license because of that deal.
Virgin has its own connections to Gamesys and Anzo Group. Its international sports betting operation, Virgin Bet, falls under the umbrella of LiveScore Group.
Even though Roxor split off from Gamesys in 2019, some of those ties should transfer to Aristocrat as a result of the acquisition. Once Aristocrat begins launching online slots of its own, we can probably expect that Bally and Virgin will be early adopters.
Roxor’s Real Money Slots With Linked Free Games
Every slots manufacturer has its own unique selling point. Roxor’s is that it doesn’t just make real money games. It also makes promotional games featuring the same branding, which award free slots play on the associated real-money games.
For instance, at Bally Casino, you’ll find Tiki Island and Secrets of the Phoenix, two of Roxor’s most popular titles. Each has its own daily free-play game supporting it: Tiki’s Catch of the Day and Search for the Phoenix.
The free games are available on participating sites for anyone who has made a qualifying minimum deposit. Many online casinos have such promotions rewarding players for logging in periodically. However, the fact that they’re connected to particular slots and share a common theme with those slots stands out as unique. It will be interesting to see if Aristocrat adopts a similar strategy with its online slots following the acquisition.
About the Author
