On October 31 2019, officials from Next Generation Lotteries (NGL) announced the acquisition of NOVOMATIC Lottery Solutions (NLS) from NOVOMATIC AG. NLS started as Iceland-based Betware—the first ever company providing internet-solutions for lotteries (in 1996).
The new combined company promises to leverage existing systems and product components to deliver cost-efficient, modern solutions to lotteries.
“It is not our ambition to be a billion-dollar company but rather to bring power back to the lottery operators,” declared Hans Vigmostad, CEO of NGL. Vigmostad is a 25-year veteran of the lottery industry with a pedigree dating back to the EssNet-days where he was the CEO for six years before EssNet was sold to SGI in 2006. Vigmostad is not the only lottery industry veteran involved in NGL. Risto Nieminen, whom many remember as a very successful CEO of Veikkaus and WLA President, is NGL’s Chairman.
Vigmostad added that what NGL has acquired is “more than a company, it is also the intellectual property developed with great ingenuity by passionate professionals over more than 20 years. “I am convinced that this acquisition, with the new vigor we intend to bring to the company, will accelerate our growth, revitalize the development of NLS’ product portfolio, grow existing business and allow us to win new business.”
“We are pleased that NLS will remain in good hands after many years of development work and significant investments. There is a perfect strategic fit between both companies and the experienced team of Next Generation Lotteries has a convincing concept for further development of NLS,” said Ryszard Presch, COO of NOVOMATIC.
NGL is now the sole shareholder and owner of the NLS Group, including all intellectual property, all subsidiaries, and all existing NLS contracts. NGL will maintain its headquarters in Austria along with offices in Norway, Germany, Iceland, Serbia, Spain and Tunisia.
“While the company’s first priority is to support NLS’ customers and provide them with best-of breed products and solutions, NGL will also revitalize its business development efforts,” said Vigmostad. “We are now ready and eager to grow our existing business, enter into new partnerships and win new business.”