Private equity firm, Brightstar Capital Partners, concludes $1.1 billion acquisition to privatize gaming solutions provider, PlayAGS.
In a significant move for the gaming industry, Brightstar Capital Partners has successfully completed a deal worth $1.1 billion to take AGS private. The transaction, announced 14 months ago, has been approved by Nevada regulators and represents a 41% premium to AGS's closing price on May 8, 2024.
Commissioner Brian Krolicki expressed excitement about the deal, stating that it brings investment capital, creates opportunities, and preserves existing ones. Krolicki sees the value AGS is bringing to the industry.
Andrew Weinberg, Founder, CEO & Co-Chair of Brightstar, shared similar sentiments, welcoming AGS to Brightstar and highlighting the company's full-spectrum product offering and customer-centric culture as factors that set it apart in a growing industry.
As part of the deal, AGS shareholders will receive $12.50 per share in cash. With the deal completed, AGS is in an ideal position to serve casino operators with differentiated content and solutions built to give them a winning edge.
In the past three years, AGS has seen significant growth. The company has more than doubled its global slot unit sales to over 6,100 units and increased table products revenue by more than 50%. Moreover, AGS has grown online real-money gaming content revenue by over 150%.
Brightstar's goal is to help AGS expand into new markets and continue to use technology to create exciting games and products. Macquarie Capital served as financial advisor to AGS, while Jefferies LLC served as lead financial advisor to Brightstar. Cooley LLP served as legal counsel to AGS, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck served as legal counsel to Brightstar. Barclays and Citizens JMP Securities also served as financial advisors to Brightstar.
The partnership between Brightstar and AGS marks a pivotal moment and a transformative new chapter in AGS' growth story. David Lopez, CEO & President of AGS, stated that the partnership will accelerate growth and enable the company to double-down on delivering focused, high-impact innovation across slots, table products, and online gaming.
[1] As of July 1, 2025, there is no publicly disclosed information about specific mergers or acquisitions involving an entity explicitly named "AGS" in Q2 2025 with details on the key players such as financial advisors or legal counsels.
[3] A relevant mention of "AGS" is in the context of Research Solutions and Third Iron's strategic integration of Article Galaxy Scholar (AGS) into the LibKey platform, which focuses on content access for academic libraries rather than a merger or acquisition transaction. This partnership is not an M&A event and does not involve financial advisors or legal counsels in the traditional sense.
- With the completed deal, AGS is now in a position to attract more investment capital, further expanding its business and investing in new technologies to create exciting games and products.
- The partnership between Brightstar and AGS not only marks a pivotal moment in AGS's growth but also offers opportunities for the finance industry, as AGS is now in a position to serve casino operators with differentiated content and solutions that could potentially yield higher returns for investors.
