Simon Says. . . -- Australian bookmaker Centrebet, which listed on the Australian Stock Exchange in July, is well positioned as both a merger candidate and a takeover target, according to Simon Fritsch, an analyst at Australian investment firm Wilson HTM. Fritsch said the company is likely to attract large gaming operations such as U.K.-listed companies PartyGaming Plc, William Hill and Ladbrokes, as well as companies seeking non-U.S. geographic expansion, such as Sportingbet and Australian land-based operators. Wilson HTM today initiated coverage of Centrebet with a buy recommendation and a 12-month share price target of $2.35 per share, though Fritsch said Wilson HTM's forecast of Centrebet's earnings with a target price-to-earnings multiple of 14 times was conservative.
GTECH Approval -- The New York attorney general and state comptroller have approved Italy-based Lottomatica SpA's acquisition bid for U.S.-based gaming technologies company GTECH Holdings Corp., according to an announcement made Wednesday by GTECH. Lottomatica, the license holder for the Italian lottery, agreed in January to buy GTECH for roughly $4.8 billion, including the assumption of the company's debt. The acquisition was agreed upon under the condition that the New York Lottery and other major customers would keep their contracts with GTECH.
Keno Proliferation -- Online gaming portal Keno.com Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Gaming Transactions Inc., has announced that it has begun a sub-licensing program for white-label Keno.com-style Web sites. The company will build and sell turnkey Web sites, drawing from a catalog of over 200 keno-related URL's that it has available for licensing and operators will be charged a nominal set-up fee, as well as an ongoing percentage of licensing fees. In other news, the company announced that it intends to release before the end of the quarter a new cash version of Keno.com powered by RedFelt Software Ltd.
From Essnet to ACE -- Swedish interactive gaming software developer Essnet Interactive AB, a wholly owned subsidiary of Aristocrat Leisure Limited, announced that it will now be called ACE Interactive AB and will be managed as a separate company. The change will enable Essnet/ACE to focus on the development of opportunities in the server-based video lottery market. ACE is a developer and supplier of turnkey interactive video terminal (iVT) systems based on a unique server-based open gaming platform that enables centralized management, including updates and configuration of games, real-time monitoring, central random number generator and the ability to offer games from any content provider. ACE also announced the appointment of a new CEO, Michael Koch, who has over 14 years experience in the gaming industry, first with the lottery division of Wincor Nixdorf and more recently with GTECH.