Biggest Casino Mergers Ever
Mergers of casinos are always exciting news. The amount of money which gets thrown around at the time of merger or acquisition is simply too big. Millions and billions of pounds are spent on getting hands on other casino businesses. If you are interested in big casino mergers as we are then you have come to the right place. We searched all news articles, and credible sources to find out about the biggest casino mergers ever. We have provided details regarding these mergers and acquisitions below.
International Game Technology Merger With GTECH
One of the biggest mergers in 2006 was Lottomatica’s merger with GTECH. The merger cost the parent company an estimated $4.7 billion! International Game Technology, or IGT, is known for providing games for online casinos. You can find IGT games on sites with UK online Slingo games.
GVC Holdings & William Hill Takes in Sportingbet
Sportingbet, a rising star in 2012, was acquired by GVC Holdings and William Hill. The deal was made, and Sportingbet’s owners were paid £485 million! Fast forwarding to today, Sportingbet has expanded its service area to most of the countries today. You can now play casino games and bet on sports at Sportingbet which is backed by William Hill, a name known to all experienced bettors.
Ladbrokes Takes in BetStar
In a bid to enter the Australian betting industry, Ladbrokes acquired BetStar. Established in 2007, BetStar is one of the most popular betting sites. Ladbrokes acquired BetStar in 2014 and has managed to run the company smoothly in Australia until now.
Unibet Takes in Stan James
Stan James is a popular operator in the UK which is known for its strong online presence. Stan James was acquired by Unibet in 2015. The CEO of Unibet said that they have moved forward with this merger to further their foothold in the UK gambling industry. Unibet was especially interested in Stan James’s foothold in the horse racing and other traditional betting industries in the UK.
GVC Holdings Acquires BWin
In 2016, GVC Holdings bid £1.1 billion to acquire BWin, one of the most popular casino networks in the world. GVC Holdings was able to outbid 888 holdings and acquire BWin with all its assets.
Ladbrokes Merger With Coral
Ladbrokes and Coral mutually decided to merge to further their business together. Both Coral and Ladbrokes are among the big three casino businesses in the UK. This merger took place in 2013. Once the merger of 2100 shops from Ladbrokes and 1845 from Coral was completed, the total employee count was 30,000, and Ladbrokes became the biggest casino listed on the London Stock Exchange. Ladbrokes’ worth became £2.3 billion overnight!
Betfair and PaddyPower Did a Merger
Betfair and PaddyPower are both well-known names to gamblers. They decided to merge and build a £5 billion business. Betfair is known for its biggest online betting exchange, and PaddyPower is known for its sports betting options and great advertising capabilities. These two online betting sites merged to create the biggest online company in the betting industry, with 7000 employees.
Kindred Group Obtains Majority Stake in 32Red
Kindred Group always wanted to expand its business in the gambling industry. In order to do that in the UK, it needed a licence and permission from the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC). Once it got that in 2017, Kindred Group went ahead with its plans to acquire 32Red, a Gibraltar-based online betting site. 32Red offers online sports betting and casino gambling for its customers. Kindred Group was able to successfully buy 97% of the company stake and become the owner overnight.
Ladbrokes Coral Was Acquired By GVC Holdings
After Ladbrokes’ dramatic acquisition of Coral, two years after GVC Holdings acquired Ladbrokes Coral, GVC Holdings spent £4 billion to satisfy Ladbrokes Coral’s needs and acquired all its assets.