Magic Guardians

What is Magic Guardians?

“Maybe they’re not so dominant in the results, but it is dominant in our identity. But figures-wise, slots are bigger than table games.”

Petra’s experience in aviation and education taught her that people are important – losing the human interaction on the casino floor would be a bad idea. Sure, not all customers want to talk, but the success of the Next Zone points to players seeing Holland Casino as a sociable, lively experience rather than a solitary one.

The Netherlands has been the subject of much industry conversation, particularly the online side of the business. Petra emphasises the importance of a ‘healthy legal gambling market’ to help the sector thrive. “We see taxes going up, we see regulations going up. You see your guests changing what they want. We have to make sure that we have a good legal offer because if we don’t have that, we also know that people will find their way to illegal means.”

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“[But] part of that was some sweepstakes operators, and I think that market became a bit more uncertain compared to when they started to look at those kinds of customers. And then they also had, they called it a tier one customer I think in Brazil, which was supposed to launch in early 2026, but then they decided not to enter that market. So I think they had some opportunities that did not end up as expected.”

While Ahlberg explains GiG is experiencing B2B headwinds, he also views the 888Africa deal as an opportunistic one. This is confirmed by Richards, who describes the acquisition as a “targeted, opportunistic move” with “compelling” economics.

In its currently ongoing takeover of Evoke Bally’s Intralot will retain the remaining 20% of 888Africa and will stay active in management.

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Following the decision, the odds of one additional rate hike this year jumped to 48% on Wednesday afternoon on Polymarket. The contract asks traders to predict whether the upper bound of the Fed Funds Rate will hit 4.25% by the end of 2026. There is now a 21% chance that the Fed will stand pat for the remainder of year, with a slightly lower probability that the upper bound will reach at least 4.5%.

According to Multiples.VC, the average enterprise multiple (EV/EBITDA) of top US-listed gaming companies is currently 10x. Data from New York University last updated in January pegged the overall market average at 23.9x and 19.7x among EBITDA-positive firms, suggesting the sector is undervalued relative to other industries. In a report released Monday, Fitch Ratings said most North American gaming companies hold “Stable” outlooks with “adequate rating headroom” despite consumer headwinds.

Macquarie’s Beynon agrees with that sentiment, pointing to the relative stability of gaming companies through tough economic stretches such as the Covid-19 pandemic. Bankruptcies in the sector have been low relative to the broader market, he notes, and both land-based and digital companies have reason for optimism moving forward.