Image © Silver Lake.

The iGaming sector has officially breached the £100BN mark in acquisitions, following Silver Lake's recent acquisition of Endeavor Group Holdings in April 2024, valued at a staggering $13BN (£10.3 billion).

This is according to data gathered by Bojoko.com, a UK comparison site that tracks every reported iGaming acquisition.

While disclosed figures alone surpass £100BN, the total is likely much higher, considering the undisclosed prices of numerous private deals.

According to Bojoko.com, Silver Lake's acquisition of Endeavor Group Holdings represents a defining moment in iGaming history, being the largest acquisition ever recorded in the industry.

The two highest acquisitions previously recorded were the £5 billion merger of Paddy Power and Betfair in 2015 and Brookfield Business Partners' $5.8BN acquisition of Scientific Games' US Lottery division in 2022.

This means that Silver Lake's acquisition of Endeavor Group Holdings was larger than the next two acquisitions in the all-time statistics combined.

Joonas Karhu, CEO of Bojoko, commented, "The scale of these acquisitions underscores how quickly the industry has grown and how fast the iGaming landscape is changing. The last few years have seen an unprecedented increase in iGaming acquisitions, which is part of the reason why we created our iGaming Mergers and Acquisitions database. Through our data, it is now possible to get a clear overview of where the industry is heading".

Bojoko's comprehensive database reveals further recent records and insights.

The iGaming industry has seen a surge in acquisitions over the last three years, hitting all-time highs in 2021, 2022, and 2023, with 53, 57, and 77 individual acquisitions, respectively.

These numbers are drastically higher than those of the previous joint record-holders, 2017 and 2018. In both of these years, there were 28 reported iGaming acquisitions. In contrast, 2023 saw nearly three times as many acquisitions.

In 2022, the iGaming industry set a record for the highest spending on acquisitions in a single year, reaching an estimated total of £15 billion. However, 2024 has swiftly claimed second place with Silver Lake's monumental acquisition.

"Given the momentum we've seen thus far in 2024, it's highly likely that this year will surpass the record set in 2022," remarks Karhu. "With the recent mega purchase by Silver Lake and the ongoing trend of consolidation in the iGaming industry, we anticipate a significant uptick in both the number of acquisitions. 2024 is poised to be another landmark year in iGaming acquisitions."

"With the recent uptake in acquisitions not seeming to slow down, we believe our database will become an increasingly crucial resource for industry stakeholders, offering insights into market trends and guiding strategic decision-making. Bojoko remains committed to diligently tracking and analysing iGaming acquisition data in this exciting time of consistent new records."

"This is an extremely exciting time for everyone in our industry, and I look forward to seeing what kinds of new acquisitions and mergers we will see in the coming years. Silver Lake's acquisition of Endeavor Group Holdings may just be a taste of things to come."