ONLINE NEWS
Stars to acquire SBG for €3.8bn
T
he Stars Group has agreed a deal to purchase Sky Betting & Gaming (SBG) from
CVC Capital Partners for $4.7bn (€3.8bn). The transaction will comprise cash and stock, with the Stars Group to pay $3.6bn in cash and the remainder in approximately 37.9 million newly-issued common shares. These new shares will represent around 20% of the Stars Group’s issued and outstanding common shares, giving effect to the transaction and anticipated acquisitions of CrownBet and William Hill Australia. “The acquisition of Sky Betting & Gaming is a landmark moment in the Stars Group’s history,” Stars Group chief executive Rafi Ashkenazi said. “SBG operates one of the world’s fastest growing sportsbooks and is one of the UK’s leading gaming providers. SBG’s
premier sports betting product is the ideal complement to our industry-leading poker platform. “The ability to offer two low-cost acquisition
channels of this magnitude provides the Stars Group with great growth potential and will significantly increase our ability to create winning moments for our customers.” To finance the deal, the Stars Group has
secured fully committed debt financing of around $6.9bn, including $5.1bn of first lien term loans, $1.4bn of senior unsecured notes and a $400m revolving credit facility. The funded proceeds of $6.5bn will be used for the cash portion of the deal, as well as refinancing the company’s existing first lien term loan and repaying SBG’s outstanding debt. Subject to approval, the Stars Group expects the deal to go through during the third quarter of this year. Ashkenazi also said: “Following this transaction, the Stars Group will have significantly enhanced scale and a highly-regarded global brand portfolio. As a result, we are well positioned to realise our vision of becoming the world’s favourite igaming destination.”
Premier League backs US sports betting expansion
E
ngland’s Premier League would support an expanded sports betting
market in the US, according to rights partner Football DataCo. The US Supreme Court is due
to rule on New Jersey’s bid to overturn the federal 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), which blocks states from legalising sports wagering. Nevada is currently the only
state in which punters can legally wager on sports in the US, but the situation could change should New Jersey succeed in its long-running effort. The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Major League Baseball (MLB), as well as golf’s PGA Tour, have publicly backed New Jersey, with the
two former competitions also setting out potential laws. Attorneys for the NBA and MLB have suggested sports betting firms be required to use official league data, share customer data, as well as pay a percentage fee of the amount wagered on the sports and allow leagues to have input on the type of bets sportsbooks can offer. Adrian Ford, general manager of Football DataCo, the official
Net Gaming to acquire affiliate assets in DACH
N
et Gaming has signed a letter of intent to purchase a number of affiliate assets across Germany, Austria and Switzerland
(DACH). The initial purchase consideration of
€2.3m ($2.8m) will be settled with cash resources, but an additional payment of €1.3m may be required should the assets achieve a
certain EBITDA over the 12 months after the transaction goes through. Net Gaming, which owns various online
comparison sites, said the assets have shown “strong growth” and expects the operations to
generate quarterly sales of around €200,000, with an operating margin of approximately 75%. RB Capital is acting as the sell-side advisor for the transaction, which remains subject to a diligence process. Marcus Teilman, chief executive of Net Gaming, said: “I am very pleased that we have the opportunity to strengthen our position in the DACH region; this is an exciting market which we consider to have good growth opportunities ahead. In addition, completion of this transaction will give us further opportunities to grow our existing operations in the region, and expand these assets to other markets.”
I 70 MAY 2018
talian regulator Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (ADM) has revealed the identity of some of the companies that have applied for online gaming licences in the country. Last month, the ADM confirmed that 80
operators had applied for a licence ahead of the deadline on March 19th. Some companies opted to put forward separate applications for multiple licenses, with the fee for each licence set at
€200,000 ($245,500), fetching around €16m for the ADM.
Bet365, PokerStars, Luckia, Videoslots and Lottomatica are among the brands that have
submitted an application – according to
CasinoNewsDaily.com – while a number of Italian land-based casinos have also applied. The new licences will be valid until December 31, 2022.
rights-holder for the Premier League and all professional football leagues in England and Scotland, said the Premier League would support this approach: “Broadly, we don’t think what the leagues are asking for is fundamentally wrong, if you’re trying to come up with a framework that works for both parties,” Ford told ESPN. “We would not see why there
would be an issue about sports getting a return from betting; we’d echo some of the high-level statements the NBA has made. If someone is making money off us, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be interested in that and why we shouldn’t have some level of involvement in the commercial return.”
Italy names online gaming licence applicants
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