Arpit Khandelwal, Founder & Managing Partner of Plutus Wealth Management LLP and Mithun Sacheti, tech entrepreneur and Founder of Caratlane, have announced a strategic partnership with Nazara Technologies Limited and its promoters, Vikash & Nitish Mittersain. The transaction involves a significant investment of INR 495 crores by Axana Estates LLP, with the stake increase triggering a mandatory open offer and reinforcing the collective vision of accelerating Nazara in its path to becoming a global leader in gaming and digital entertainment.

Key Details of the Transaction

1. Preferential Issue: Axana Estates LLP, whose designated partners include Arpit Khandelwal and Mithun Sacheti, will infuse INR 495 crores into the Company to acquire ~5.40% stake through a preferential issue of equity shares at a price of INR 990 per share. This transaction has been approved by the Company’s board and is subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals. The issued shares will comply with SEBI (ICDR) Regulations, 2018, including lock-in requirements.
2. Open Offer: Plutus Wealth Management LLP and Axana Estates LLP, along with PACs, will launch a public open offer to acquire an additional 26% stake in Nazara, as per SEBI (SAST) Regulations, 2011. This is subject to regulatory approvals and completion of the open offer process.
3. Post-Transaction Shareholding: Assuming full acceptance of the open offer, the total shareholding of Acquirers and PACs, along with the existing promoters (Vikash & Nitish Mittersain) and promoter group, is expected to be ~61.5% of the Company.

Strategic Benefits and Leadership Continuity

This partnership brings together complementary expertise and resources, creating a powerful alliance enabling Nazara to access new markets, leverage cutting-edge technologies, and enhance operational efficiencies.

Nazara will continue to operate independently under the leadership of its Chairman & Managing Director Vikash Mittersain along with Jt. Managing Director & CEO Nitish Mittersain.

The investment will be directed toward accelerating organic growth, strategic acquisitions, and expansion into new markets.

Nitish Mittersain, Jt. Managing Director and CEO of Nazara Technologies, said: “Nazara is set for global growth, and we are excited to partner with Arpit & Mithun, who share our vision. Their belief in our potential and expertise will help us scale new heights, positioning Nazara as a unique global gaming company from India.”

Arpit Khandelwal, Founder & Managing Partner of Plutus Wealth Management LLP, added: “We are excited to deepen our investment in Nazara, a company with a proven track record of capitalizing on global gaming trends. This consolidation of ownership will provide growth capital and bring strategic expertise to support Nazara, its promoters & team in the journey of becoming a world-leading gaming and entertainment brand.”

Mithun Sacheti, Designated Partner of Axana Estates LLP & Founder of Caratlane said:
“Gaming is the new consumer play, blending entertainment, technology, and community to create unmatched engagement. It has become a powerful platform to connect with audiences and shape consumer behaviour in real time. We are thrilled to partner with Nazara to unlock its immense potential and drive global growth and look forward to unlocking the Company’s full potential in collaboration with its exceptional management team.”

In addition to this strategic partnership, Nazara is bolstering its mobile gaming portfolio with the acquisition of two popular game IPs from ZeptoLab.

The Nazara board today approved the acquisition of the intellectual property rights of two popular mobile gaming titles, ‘CATS: Crash Arena’ and ‘King of Thieves’ from Barcelona-based game developer and publisher ZeptoLab for a total consideration of USD 7.7 million (~INR 67 cr). Through this acquisition, Nazara will own the game IPs and will also publish the games under the “Nazara Publishing” banner further strengthening its position in the global mobile gaming market.

Safer Gambling charities Gordon Moody (€30,000), Fejar (€25,000) and FES (€10,000) have been named as the beneficiaries of the charity fund generated by the sponsors of the ICE Sustainable Gambling Zone.

The €65,000 fund was the result of generous donations from leading brands comprising Cirsa, Grupo Orenes, Betsson Group, Flutter, Acordjoc, Alea, Novomatic, Playtech, and Novomatic Spain and takes the total donated at ICE to €385,000.

Ewa Bakun, Clarion Gaming’s Director of Industry Insight said: “Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors I am delighted to be able to announce what are significant five-figure donations to the three charities all of which do outstanding work in the safer gambling space.

“Player Protection is a fundamental objective shared by everyone associated with the Sustainable Gambling Zone. The overarching objective of the Sustainable Gambling Zone is to be at the vanguard of initiatives to help develop healthy play from the outset of the player journey.

“This includes the incorporation of safer gambling considerations from the very start rather than as just a compliance requirement. The goal is to create a more sustainable business in which players continue to enjoy their gambling entertainment experience but where the small proportion who are at risk of developing problems are proactively identified and assisted by operators.”

Clarion Gaming was the first event organiser to embrace safer gambling when it introduced the ICE Consumer Protection Zone seven years ago which went on to establish a template for other events to follow.

Featuring a total of 26 safer gambling bodies, including Spanish organisations ASENCAS and FEJAR, the SGZ will also host three days of educational content dedicated to consumer protection and ESG.

For more information on the world’s biggest gaming technology event and to register: icegaming.com

Paysafe’s annual ‘All the Ways Players Pay’ report reveals insights from 4,300 online sports bettors across Europe, North America, and LATAM

A positive payment experience makes 82% of global online sports-bettors stay to continue wagering with sportsbooks, according to new research released today by leading payments platform Paysafe (NYSE: PSFE). Beyond player retention, the latest ‘All the Ways Players Pay’ annual report underscores the critical role payments play in customer acquisition and the importance of sportsbooks offering localized cashiers with alternative payment methods (APMs) to ensure payment choice plus fast and secure transactions.

The 2025 edition of the report, which includes Latin America for the first time, reveals players in the region share North American and European bettors’ priorities when choosing a sportsbook. Globally, quick and easy payouts are the top factor in sportsbook selection, with 34% of bettors prioritizing payout speed over brand trust (33%), promotions, and odds (both 24%), user experience (18%), and sports market variety (17%). Cashing-out quickly is particularly important to bettors in Romania (prioritized by 42%), the U.S. (41%), and Argentina (37%).

Beyond payouts, global players consider other payment factors more important than everything else except brand trust. Bettors seek rapid deposits (25%) and the availability of their preferred payment methods (also 25%) when choosing a sportsbook.

Players’ desire for diverse payment preferences demonstrates the importance of operators maximizing payment options. In the regions surveyed, debit cards remain the top payment choice (42%), trending even higher in Mexico (63%) and Peru (56%) as well as in jurisdictions that ban iGaming credit card transactions like the U.S. state of Tennessee (51%) and the U.K. (48%).

Despite restrictions, credit cards are preferred by 24% of players globally and remain the top payment method in France (39%). But APMs like digital wallets are challenging cards’ popularity. Digital wallets are a top choice for 38% of global players and are even more popular in Argentina (52%) and densely populated U.S. states like New York (48%) and Florida (46%).

Interest in local payment methods (LPMs) available only in specific regions is robust in the U.S. (16%), where Venmo is popular, but trends highest in Colombia (29%) and Ecuador (24%).

Against the backdrop of a resilient cash culture, LATAM players favor eCash for iGaming, with 30% of Colombians and 25% of both Peruvians and Ecuadoreans considering it a preference, though cash’s popularity also stands strong in Spain and the U.K. (both 22%).

In addition to localizing their cashiers, operators need to focus on transactional speed. With players demanding rapid payouts, 42% of global players expect to cash-out instantly. And 34% consider fast deposits critical to their payment experience, trending highest in Colombia (45%) and Ecuador (43%).

Transaction security is even more important, with 41% of global bettors prioritizing this in their payment experience. Players in Argentina (51%), Peru (48%), and Colombia (46%), as well as Romania (44%) and Italy (43%) appear particularly sensitive to security concerns.

Players’ confidence in the security of their transactions continues to improve, with 66% more confident than a year ago, though there’s no room for operator complacency, with 8% less confident and 26% on the fence. These doubters almost certainly impact operators’ revenue, with 32% of players who’ve not wagered in 6+ months saying fraud concerns were their major blocker.

Looking ahead, players reveal a strong appetite for real-time payments, with 73% expecting this to become the norm at sportsbooks within two years. Over the same period, adoption of APMs like digital wallets and eCash will likely grow, with 60% expecting to wager more with one. Bettors in Colombia (85%) and Peru (81%) are particularly bullish on upping the ante with APMs.

“Our latest ‘All the Ways Players Pay’ research report surveys online sports bettors’ transactional preferences across an unprecedented range of regulated markets in the Americas and Europe,” said Zak Cutler, President of Global Gaming at Paysafe. “Payments are crucial for player acquisition and retention in every single market, but there can be no one-size-fits-all approach. Operators will only maximize conversions and minimize churn if they localize their cashiers and respond to player demand for an exhaustive range of payment options that balance transactional speed with security.”