Endemol Invests $13 Million in Social Casino Start-Up

LONDON: Endemol has invested $13 million in the social casino gaming company Plumbee, which creates, operates and markets free-to-play online and mobile games on social networks such as Facebook.

Plumbee's social casino games are free to play but players can purchase virtual credits in order to unlock more features and get upgrades, gifts, bonuses and more. Since launching in October 2011, Plumbee's growth has been driven by successes such as its flagship game Mirrorball Slots.

Together, Plumbee and Endemol will create premium social casino games, exploiting Endemol's global entertainment brands and building on Plumbee's worldwide user base.

Lucas Church, the chair of Endemol's group commercial board, commented: "Social casino gaming is a fast emerging market and Plumbee is one of the most innovative and dynamic operators in this space. This new partnership will allow us to accelerate the growth of Endemol's digital gaming business around the world, whilst capturing more of the value created by our entertainment brands."

Raf Keustermans, the CEO of Plumbee, added: "Joining forces with a world leading content creator like Endemol ideally positions us to develop a new generation of premium social games. Endemol will become a strategic shareholder and this will enable us to leverage the company’s international network and globally recognised brands. This will significantly boost the growth of our worldwide user base as we create gaming experiences that stand out from the competition."