Last month’s acquisition of Australia-based sportsbook giant PointsBet by an arm of Japanese firm Mixi was publicly confirmed this week, along with news of a corporate reshuffle.
According to a PointsBet company announcement on Monday, Mixi Australia now controls the sportsbook and has appointed new directors to reflect its 66.43% ownership.
In come three Mixi-appointed non-executive directors
Resigning “with immediate effect” are PointsBet directors including Kosha Gada, William Grounds, Becky Harris, Peter McCluskey, and Tony Symons. In come three Mixi-appointed non-executive directors: Sho Okuyama, Kanji Kobayashi, and Taishi Oba.
The trio are senior executives within Mixi or its subsidiaries, with Okuyama currently head of the social betting department for the Toyko-based digital media giant’s Tipstar brand. PointsBet Chairman Brett Paton and Managing Director Sam Swanell, however, retain their seats on the board.
The Toyko firm, known for mobile games including Monster Strike, pushed the PointsBet acquisition through after a prolonged takeover tussle with Betr Entertainment. Mixi’s move to stick with a recommended AU$1.25 ($0.82) per share cash offer trumped Betr’s “unsolicited all-stock reverse takeover” bid, with the acquisition window deadline closing September 12.
According to Next.io, the re-tuned PointsBet enters a new phase under its Japanese leadership, with emphasis on stronger alignment between the sportsbook’s strategic direction and Mixi’s “broader ambitions in the global online gambling industry.”
