New Zeal instant games division seals Lithuanian deal
Zeal Instant Games (ZIG), a newly launched division of Zeal Network, has sealed a partnership with Lithuania-facing operator Internet Lottery & Betting Group (IL&BG).
ZIG will initially provide IL&BG with ten instant online games, including its Instant Lotto and Instant Powerball titles, for use across their online and mobile lottery and casino platforms.
ZIG was established as a new division of London-listed Zeal Network at the end of 2018 after the lottery brokerage opted to offer its plug-and-play instant games solutions to external operators as well as its own brands.
The deal with IL&BG is the first such partnership announced by ZIG since the division was created.
“The instant games team had been doing a really good job for our brands and the feeling was that the service would be applicable to other brands,” Zeal Network’s head of communications, Matt Drage, told iGamingBusiness.com today (May 22).
“Aside from transforming to becoming a lottery brokerage, we are also an investor in start-ups and new enterprises, and this is just another example of that approach.”
Over the past four years, working exclusively for companies within the Zeal Group, the team behind ZIG helped to generate more than €150m (£132m/$168m) in billings.
ZIG’s managing director, Julian Tietz, said: “Demand for instant lottery products continues to grow and Zeal Instant Games has the experience and expertise to match. We’re keen to talk with other operators about how we can help them get ahead of the game.”
ZIG has a portfolio of more than 50 titles that are fully licensed by the GB Gambling Commission and are currently available in German, Lithuanian, Romanian, Russian and Swedish, as well as English.
“As soon as we met with the team at Zeal Instant Games, we knew they were the right partner for us,” IL&BG chief executive Šarūnas Dusevičius said. “Their experience as both an operator and developer is invaluable as they really understand and focus on the needs of the consumer.
“The double-digit growth rate of their games is clear proof of their success and growing customer demand. The integration has been seamless and we look forward to bringing these games to our customers.”
The announcement of the launch of ZIG and the IL&BG partnership comes just days after Zeal Network confirmed the completion of its takeover of former subsidiary Lotto24, a German online provider of state-run lotteries that it spun off in 2012.
Zeal plans to follow the acquisition by retaking control of its myLotto24 and Tipp24 subsidiaries and transforming its German secondary lottery business into a locally licensed digital lottery broker. As part of these plans, the company intends to relocate its headquarters to Germany.