Sweden's LeoVegas has come out with two major developments in the past week: the release of their new casino app and the acquisition of Expekt – an online casino and sports betting agency, which is very popular in Scandinavia.
Both developments are labelled as part of the company's overall strategy, in which it aims to continue the successes achieved in 2020 and focus on more growth in various European markets.
Introduction of new Android App
LeoVegas' first development is a major breakthrough for mobile gambling enthusiasts in Sweden, Denmark and Spain. Indeed, late last week the Swedish company officially became the first iGaming operator to be allowed to release an app in the Google Play Store.
The casino app development process began in late January, right after Google's rather unexpected message towards app developers, in which it indicated that they are going to allow gambling-related apps and advertisements – provided they comply with all local laws. LeoVegas is the first online casino to successfully pass the thorough approval process.
The app is available in the Google Play Stores of Canada, Sweden, Denmark and Spain. LeoVegas members from these three countries can therefore download the app from now on and immediately take advantage of LeoVegas' extensive iGaming offering.
Furthermore, the company indicates that the app offers new opportunities for players with an Android, with these devices having approximately a 45 percent market share of mobile operating systems in Sweden, 38 percent in Denmark and a whopping 90 percent in Spain.
Acquisition popular Scandinavian online casino
Apart from the new app, LeoVegas announced the acquisition of a renowned online casino. Last Monday LeoVegas announced that it will acquire Expekt Nordics Ltd. with immediate effect. In total LeoVegas will pay an amount of €5 million for this new addition to the iGaming group. For this amount LeoVegas will receive all shares of the Maltese Expekt, as well as all related assets.
Expekt is not a new online casino and was first launched in 1999 and during a relatively short time the company grew into one of the most popular gambling sites in Scandinavia.
Then at the end of 2009 the company was bought by its current owner – Betclic. In recent years, Expekt's market share has dropped significantly thanks to increasing competition, however, its brand awareness is still unprecedented. Gustaf Hofman, the CEO of LeoVegas, indicated that the acquisition of Expekt is part of their ambition to strengthen the position in sports betting:
For those of us who grew up gambling online in Sweden, Expekt is undeniably one of the pioneers in sports betting. The company may have been on the sidelines for a few years, but we will now be restoring Expekt's former glory.
