Private equity firm Perwyn buys VIXIO
Perwyn has bought the gambling and regulatory intelligence provider from Kester Capital.
The European private-equity firm Perwyn has bought the gambling business and regulatory intelligence provider VIXIO from Kester Capital. The deal sees Perwyn take possession of VIXIO’s business intelligence portals GamblingCompliance and PaymentsCompliance.
Perwyn said it would invest in VIXIO’s management team and seek to broaden the depth of its portals and geographic coverage. It said these currently have more than 400 international customers, including operators, regulators, technology providers and law firms. Gehan Talwatte will join VIXIO’s board of directors as independent chair.
Perwyn partner Gurinder Sunner said: “We are delighted to be partnering with the VIXIO team and to support their ambitious growth plans.
“Already the market leader, we will be investing to enhance and increase the product offering and geographic coverage whilst maintaining and building its leading reputation as the go-to provider for regulatory intelligence in both the payments and gambling markets. We look forward to working with Mike and the team.”
Kester Capital took on VIXIO, formerly ComplianceOnline, in 2019 in a management buyout led by chief executive Mike Woolfrey. The rebranding as VIXIO was accompanied by an expansion to cover North American and Latin American gambling markets.
Woolfrey, who remains chief executive, said: “We are delighted to be working with Perwyn at a pivotal time in our development. We are particularly impressed by their track record in partnering and supporting exceptional companies to achieve ambitious plans on a global scale and look forward to working with them on helping VIXIO fulfil its potential.”
Mark Deed, an investment manager at Perwyn who will serve as a board member of VIXIO, said: “When we met the team at VIXIO we were immediately struck by the unique value of the business and by the sophistication of its research capabilities.
“No other provider of regulatory intelligence is solely focused on payments and gambling, two very heavily regulated markets which require a laser-sharp focus, giving it market-leading capabilities.”
Last week, Andrew Gellatly, a founder of VIXIO, was appointed as the new executive director of the Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC). He replaces Jorn Starck who has occupied the role since 2015. The third executive director of the regulator, Gellatly has wide experience in igaming media, comms and research.
