The drama surrounding the recent acquisition of NetEnt by Evolution Gaming is ongoing as NetEnt live disappears without a trace and we have uplifting news regarding the more than 300 Maltese redundancies.
The recent acquisition of award-winning slots provider NetEnt by Evolution Gaming has been in the news and unfortunately not for the right reasons.
Initially, the headlines lead with the groundbreaking value of the deal, regardless of how jaded you become seeing big numbers thrown around a deal in excess of €2 billion is a big deal, since then the headlines have ranged from the odd to the disappointing.
What’s Odd?
Fans of NetEnt’s library of live casinos games noticed that the games are now absent from the online casinos where they used to be enjoyed.
It appears that not long after the acquisition received its final level of approval Evolution Gaming made the decision to remove NetEnt Live from operators. While it could be theorised that since the stable of brands under Evolution Gaming (which now include NetEnt, Red Tiger and Ezugi) will continue to operate under their own banners the company’s intent is to have NetEnt double down on their strong suit, creating award-winning slots.
What is odd about the entire situation is that neither Evolution Gaming nor NetEnt made has made a public announcement addressing the removal of these fan-favourite live casino games.
A simple statement about ‘focusing on strengths’ or the need to ‘streamline divisions’ would have made this a non-issue, but the cloak and dagger approach to a decision that has negatively impacted fans of NetEnt Live has raised hackles.
From Disappointing to Hopeful
The one decidedly negative headline which followed hot on the heels of the buyout announcement was that of the more than 300 NetEnt staff who were terminated as the holidays approached.
Thanks to the tenacity and determination of the General Workers Union (GWU) however this story may yet have a positive outcome as Malta’s Superior Court ruled to suspend all redundancies till it can hear from both parties at a special sitting on December 17th.
The GWU feels it has a strong case and can prove that the redundancies are illegal and that Evolution Gaming failed to meet its obligations under Maltese law. If the court agrees what began as a bleak December could end up being a time of celebration.
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