Flutter has announced its first-ever “platform partnership”, which will see its proprietary Tombola bingo product offered across its Sisal brand in Italy.
The operator said the partnership was possible thanks to the advancements of its Flutter Edge platform, the in-house tech stack that powers all its global brands.
Both Flutter’s leadership teams and equity analysts hail Flutter Edge as the key to its successful integration of local acquisitions across Brazil, the US and Europe.
The operator said the partnership leveraged “distinct competitive advantages across product, technology, expertise and scale”, all of which are evident in this partnership, it said.
As part of the partnership, Sisal will offer Tombola’s bingo product as an integrated feature on its app and website, giving its bingo customers direct access to the games, which will carry the Sisal brand.
The reasoning behind the move is to provide players with access to a deeper liquidity pool, giving them opportunities to play for larger prizes and bigger jackpots across both brands.
The second phase of this move will see Tombola’s casino product launched on Sisal. This will include Tombola’s player chat capabilities and signature side-games solution.
“This multi-product approach will create a strong ecosystem that leverages the best of both brands,” said Flutter in a statement on Wednesday.
Could Flutter replicate this platform partnership model elsewhere?
Flutter expects to use this partnership as a model to integrate its in-house bingo products via other brands globally. It also suggests the operator could carry out additional cross-pollination between its global portfolio of products and brands.
“This initiative is a clear example of how cross-brand collaboration within Flutter can accelerate innovation and deliver meaningful value for our players,” said Rosangela Robbiani, chief product officer at Flutter Southern Europe and Africa.
“This is a hugely exciting moment for Tombola, as we take the next step in our evolution and bring our award-winning bingo product to Sisal’s players in Italy,” added Marion Ryan, managing director at Tombola.
“The ability to seamlessly integrate and scale our platform for future partnerships represents a fantastic opportunity for Flutter to transform the bingo proposition, both within our existing markets and beyond.”
Flutter completed its €1.91bn Sisal acquisition in August 2022. Flutter had applied for the Italian national lottery tender earlier this year, but a consortium led by IGT was announced in May as the tender winner.
Flutter is stitching together its global portfolio, with its Tombola bingo product going live on Sisal in Italy.