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International law firm Osborne Clarke has advised Shore Capital on Winvia Entertainment plc’s £205 million AIM IPO and associated £40 million institutional placing. Shore Capital acted as nominated adviser, sole bookrunner and sole broker.

Technology focused business Winvia Entertainment is the second largest prize draw operator in the UK by market share and owns the brands Best of the Best and Click Competitions, through which players can play for prizes including cars, luxury watches and holidays.

Outside the UK, the company is focused on the fast-growing and regulated Romanian online gaming market, where it is a top three online casino operator, operating a multi-brand strategy including own brands such as Princess Casino, Royal Slots and Luck, white label brands such as Magnumbet, Cashpot and Excelbet, and a majority owned poker business.

Winvia Entertainment intends to use the net proceeds of the placing to fund acquisitions in the large but fragmented UK prize draw sector. It has been building a pipeline of other opportunities and is in discussions with several potential acquisition targets to allow it to consolidate its position in this rapidly growing market.

Admission and trading in the company’s ordinary shares on AIM took place on the 3 November 2025 at 8:00 a.m.

The IPO represents a significant AIM admission in H2 2025 and highlights the renewed interest in UK tech and digital-entertainment flotations. It follows commentary that the London listing market may be turning a corner, with several listing announcements and a strengthening pipeline emerging in recent weeks.

Commenting on the transaction, Ed Nisbet, Associate Director at Osborne Clarke, said: “We are delighted to have assisted the Shore Capital team in relation to the IPO of Winvia Entertainment. Both the UK and Romanian markets that the group is focused on offer exciting opportunities and this IPO perfectly positions Winvia to build on its existing strength to take advantage of these. This transaction, together with general market activity and our increasing pipeline of opportunities, is also demonstrative of the increased momentum in UK capital markets.”

Jonathan King, Partner at Osborne Clarke, added: “The Winvia IPO showcases the breadth of Osborne Clarke’s capital markets expertise – from advising on complex cross-border structures to supporting clients at every stage of their growth.”

Osborne Clarke’s Corporate team, which is ranked in the top tiers by both Chambers UK and Legal 500 UK for AIM, is considered a go-to practice for many companies in the tech, media and comms sector. Its clients range from global businesses to fast-growth start-ups and market challengers. The team advises at every stage of company development across all corporate issues, from equity and debt fundraisings to strategic M&A, IPOs and JVs.

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With a total equity free grant pool of USD 100,000, LVL Zero will fast-track product execution, provide targeted mentorship, and enable investor and publisher readiness within 100 days

Following the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, the incubator aims to empower India’s gaming leap by supporting 100+ high-performing startups over the next five years

MIXI Global Investments, Nazara Technologies & ChimeraVC have officially joined forces to launch LVL Zero, a gaming incubator designed to help India’s gaming startups accelerate product execution and achieve investor and publisher readiness within 100 days. The initiative is supported by Google Play, which joins as the Knowledge Partner, offering technical mentorship, platform guidance and developer best practices.

As per the India Gaming Report 2025, India is home to 16.63 crore gamers today, with the number expected to reach 24.68 crore by 2027. As the nation’s gaming audience continues to expand, many new startups across diverse portfolios have emerged, yet few have scaled to global publishing, live operations, or sustainable business models. With global investors and publishers increasingly viewing India as a hub for creative talent and innovation, LVL Zero brings together some of the biggest names in the industry to bridge this gap. Offering equity-free grants and open to all game developers in the ecosystem, the incubator will provide mentorship, access to tools, and support to help Indian startups build sustainable ventures and compete on a global stage.

What LVL Zero Offers

• LVL Zero is built to fast-track startups from concept to investor and publisher readiness in 100 days through structured, measurable goals.
• Each cohort startup is matched with mentors who align with their current challenge whether it’s game design, development, analytics, or live-ops.
• A USD 10,000 equity-free grant for 10 startups each, along with access to global and Indian mentors, tools, platforms, and growth infrastructure provided by partners.
• LVL Zero connects developers with publishers, investors, and ecosystem partners to open pathways to distribution and funding.
• The programme focuses equally on product quality, data-led decision-making, business scalability, and product narratives, preparing startups to operate at global standards.

How LVL Zero Will Work

• The LVL Zero framework is designed to compress years of learning and growth into a focused 100-day execution cycle. It is an outcome-driven sprint with defined phases and checkpoints.
• Three-phase structure: Each team starts by pinpointing its biggest challenges and goals, builds through guided mentorship, testing and feedback cycles, and finishes ready for publisher reviews, investor outreach, and scale-up opportunities.
• Hands-on mentorship: Teams work closely with domain specialists from across the globe across game design, production, user acquisition, monetisation, and business strategy and more.
• Sprints and reviews: Regular product reviews and data checkpoints ensure measurable progress toward publishing and funding readiness.
• Demo Day: The cycle concludes with a Demo Day, where startups pitch to a curated panel of publishers, investors, and strategic partners for potential capital, distribution and growth opportunities.
• Ecosystem support: After Demo Day, teams remain connected to the LVL Zero network for ongoing mentorship, partnership and fund raising introductions.

The partners & hosts of LVL Zero

As a firm specialising in games, tools and infrastructure, Chimera VC brings its early-stage, product-first investment approach to LVL Zero. The firm focuses on gaming, tools and infrastructure startups, backing founders early, helping them ship fast and scale globally.

“With Chimera, we’ve always worked with founders at Level 1 – the seed stage where conviction meets capital. LVL Zero allows us to start even earlier, at the stage where belief forms before traction and ideas are still taking shape. Most founders meet investors once they have momentum; LVL Zero lets them meet conviction first. It completes the loop for us, helping founders start earlier, think globally, and build more sustainably.” said Krish Anurag, Managing Partner at Chimera VC.

Nazara Technologies, India’s leading diversified gaming company and only publicly listed gaming company, which has its own publishing division known as Nazara Publishing, is a game publishing division of Nazara Technologies. It adds its publishing expertise, market experience, and global reach to the initiative. With a diversified portfolio across mobile gaming, esports, and sports media, Nazara has been instrumental in shaping India’s gaming landscape.

Nitish Mittersain, Joint MD & CEO, Nazara Technologies, explained, “At Nazara, we have always believed that India’s gaming story will be written by its startups. With LVL Zero, we are helping turn ambition into execution. This collaboration allows us to bring publishing experience, analytics insights, and go-to-market knowledge directly to developers who are ready to take the next leap. The future of gaming in India will depend on how well we empower startups to build and own their success stories.”

MIXI Global Investments (MGI) is the corporate venture capital arm of MIXI, Inc., based in Tokyo and known for its popular mobile game IPs and community-focused live operations. It brings global expertise and networks to help Indian startups engage with international markets and partners.

“We’ve been impressed by the energy and creativity of India’s game developer community. Through LVL Zero, we aim not only to invest but also to contribute to the country’s broader ecosystem—supporting emerging talent to grow and building a lasting bridge between Japan and India’s gaming industries,” said Tomoharu Urabe, Managing Director of Investments at MIXI Global Investments, Inc.

As Knowledge Partner, Google Play will provide participating teams with developer resources, technical mentorship and insights on discovery, retention and monetisation. The platform’s deep understanding of developer growth and user engagement will help startups maximise their reach and success.

The launch of LVL Zero comes at a time when India’s gaming ecosystem is growing rapidly, supported by the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, expanding 5G networks and the mainstream acceptance of gaming as a viable career option. The incubator aims to support more than 100 high-performing startups over the next five years, nurturing a new generation of Indian gaming startups ready for global markets.

By focusing on execution, mentorship and access to the gaming industry, LVL Zero bridges a critical gap in the ecosystem, helping startups move from early-stage prototypes to globally competitive products. As more Indian teams build with global benchmarks, the impact will strengthen the entire industry: better talent retention, greater investor confidence and increased publisher trust in Indian game IP.

The post MIXI Global Investments, Nazara Technologies & ChimeraVC join forces to launch ‘LVL Zero’ gaming incubator in India; Google Play joins as Knowledge Partner appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) today announced that its net income in the first three quarters of the year has reached Php14.32 billion, a 49% increase from the Php9.63 billion in the same period last year.

Total revenues from January to September was at Php84.09 billion, rising 5.87% year-on-year from Php79.43 billion. Gaming operations accounted for Php75.93 billion of the total revenues while other related services and other income contributed Php8.16 billion.

PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro H. Tengco said the strong revenue performance highlights the positive impact of the agency’s governance and modernization initiatives.

“Our financial performance is a clear reflection of PAGCOR’s renewed focus on governance, digital transformation, as well as sustainable and responsible gaming,” Mr. Tengco said.

The agency’s total contributions to nation-building (CNB) likewise rose 11% to Php54.26 billion from Php48.88 billion during the period in review.

Out of the total CNB, two-thirds or Php36.06 billion went to the National Government as mandated by Presidential Decree 1869. This share, which accounts for 50% of PAGCOR’s gaming revenues minus 5% franchise tax, also covers allocations for the Dangerous Drugs Board and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).

PAGCOR also paid Php3.79 billion in franchise taxes and Php609.87 million in corporate income taxes to the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

The agency likewise allocated Php11 billion for its socio-civic projects, including remittances to the President’s Social Fund.

The Philippine Sports Commission received its mandated 5% share worth Php1.80 billion, an 8.66% increase from the same period last year, while athletes and coaches who won in international sports competitions received Php26.54 million under the Sports Incentives and Benefits Act.

Other mandated PAGCOR beneficiaries include the Board of Claims, which received Php142.42 million, and the Renewable Energy Trust Fund which got Php201.47 million.

Cities hosting Casino Filipino branches also received a total of Php508.20 million in revenue shares.

Mr. Tengco said PAGCOR remains committed to aligning its growth with public service goals.

“Every peso that PAGCOR earns goes back to the people through classrooms, health facilities, disaster response programs, and other community projects,” he said. “Our focus is to sustain this momentum while ensuring that the gaming industry continues to operate responsibly and contribute to national development.”

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