Social gaming giant Zynga has announced the acquisition of casino gaming specialist Spooky Cool Labs as part of the firm's attempts to broaden its appeal.

Detailed on the studio's blog, Zynga says brining Spooky Cool Labs – which is based in Chicago – on board will enable it to expand into "new game categories that strike a chord with our players", with terms of the deal not disclosed.

A real gamble?

"We have a legacy in social casino franchises with Zynga Poker, and we believe that free-to-play social casino games for the web and on mobile have the potential to reach and connect a much broader audience," detailed Zynga chief revenue officer Barry Cottle.

"The Spooky Cool team shares Zynga’s vision of delivering the most engaging and fun casino games to players in markets around the world.

"Spooky Cool Labs is the right team to help us bring the feeling of being on a casino floor and the thrill of hitting a big jackpot right to players wherever they play."

The acquisition comes after restrictions on real-money gambling games were lifted in territories such as the UK, with Zynga having made its firm play in the sector back in April.

Further gambling games – courtesy of Spooky Cool Labs – now look set to materialise, though TechCrunch claims the developer's hand in non-casino titles such as a Wizard of Oz city-building social game are also 'part of the deal'.

Spooky move

"When we founded Spooky Cool Labs, we used to dream that someday we would be so good that an innovative company, like Zynga, would notice," said Spooky Cool co-founder Joe Kaminkow.

"Today is that day. We are excited about our games which are fun to play and that include leading licensed content that resonate with players worldwide.

"This, combined with Zynga’s leading social gaming expertise will help us further our joint long-term vision of offering our players the most engaging and accessible social casino experiences across multiple platforms worldwide."

The acquisition comes as Zynga struggles to cement its place within the mobile market, with shares having fallen by 70 percent since the company was listed back in December 2011.

The company also slashed 18 percent of its workforce earlier in June – resulting in the closure of Draw Something studio OMGPOP – as part of an attempt to balance its books.