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What is The Creepy Carnival?
Some analysts have questioned whether this deal marks the beginning of an M&A spree for GiG as it looks to re-enter the B2C space.
But that isn’t the case according to Richards: “We are not signalling plans to re-enter B2C elsewhere; Africa is a distinct case: a high-growth, underpenetrated region where owning a local operator makes strategic sense in a way it may not elsewhere.”
There’s also a financial constraint, with Ahlberg noting that GiG has used its available cash and is raising additional capital to fund the 888Africa transaction, meaning he doesn’t expect the company to pursue further B2C acquisitions in the short term.
What is The Creepy Carnival?
According to The Hollywood Reporter, an independent feature film is in development about Stephen Matt Morrow—known to more than 1.6 million YouTube subscribers as Vegas Matt—marking the latest sign of mainstream entertainment’s growing fascination with casino content creation.
While traditional advantage play—a strategy-driven niche where gamblers use math and timing to tilt the odds—has long fascinated casinos, Hollywood is expanding its lens to include the modern world of slot influencers and casino content creators.
The upcoming indie biopic, titled The Chop, is being written and produced by filmmaker, writer, and stand-up comedian Mike Young through Red Leaf Entertainment. Production is targeted for 2027, though no director, cast, or financing details have been announced.
How to play The Creepy Carnival
RubyPlay’s broader licensing footprint and distribution also give Splash Tech access to operators and markets it could not have pursued efficiently alone.
“Because you’re a small business, you need to pick your battles,” Wilson says. “I can’t go and get 10 licences this year. It’s just unrealistic. It would require so much work that it would distract us. Now we have that ability through our relationship with RubyPlay, and we are grabbing that opportunity with both hands.”
There is also a natural product opportunity. Splash Tech has traditionally been weighted towards sports within free-to-play, while RubyPlay brings a substantial casino ecosystem. For Wilson, the agreement creates a chance for Splash Tech to bring its distinctive engagement thinking into the RubyPlay world, planting a seed for future products that combine Splash Tech’s free-to-play and jackpot expertise with RubyPlay’s content ecosystem, market knowledge and distribution reach.
