Merkur Group has agreed to acquire White Hat Studios, a US-focused slots supplier, in a transaction that covers only the studio’s game-development business. Completion is still subject to regulatory approvals, and White Hat Gaming’s platform and white-label operations are excluded from the deal and will remain under their current ownership.
According to Merkur’s release, the purchase is meant to further accelerate its US expansion in regulated iGaming markets and to complement its recent acquisition of Gaming Arts. The company said the enlarged group will be positioned to support operating partners’ growth ambitions with a mix of online-first and omni-channel games.
White Hat Studios launched in 2021 and has built a catalogue of more than 150 titles. Merkur described it as a dedicated US supplier of slots, jackpot slots, RNG table games and branded content across all seven regulated iGaming states. Its portfolio includes the House of Brands collection, the 7s Fire Blitz series and the Jackpot Royale progressive jackpot network.
The release said Jackpot Royale is live with more than 40 jackpot games feeding local operator progressive pots, and that White Hat launches at least six new games a month. Yogonet reported that White Hat was the first supplier to bring online slots to all seven states that regulate the vertical.
Lars Felderhoff, chairman of the Merkur Management Board, said White Hat had delivered impressive growth since launch and that the group looked forward to continuing the US success story. White Hat president Andy Whitworth said joining Merkur was the best possible move for future growth and product innovation, and would open new possibilities across iGaming while strengthening its omni-channel proposition for operators and players.
Michael Gauselmann, chairman of Merkur’s supervisory board, said he was delighted by the move and confident White Hat would be a strong addition to the group. He also pointed to Merkur’s early inroads into the online space in Europe through its Blueprint acquisition in 2012. Yogonet said Oakvale Capital advised White Hat Studios, CMS acted as legal counsel to White Hat Studios and Wiggin advised Merkur.
Merkur’s earlier US deal was Gaming Arts, which it said it completed on Sept. 15 after approval from the Nevada Gaming Commission. The company said that purchase gave it a licence to manufacture and distribute Merkur products in Nevada and allowed it to place Merkur products directly in a wide range of US jurisdictions.
