Proposed Placing of Ordinary Shares

RNS Number : 6111H

888 Holdings plc

07 April 2022

 

NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA, JAPAN OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS OR REGULATIONS OF SUCH JURISDICTION

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT AN OFFER OF SECURITIES IN ANY JURISDICTION

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

7 April 2022

888 Holdings Plc

(the "Company" and, together with its subsidiaries, "888" or "the Group")

Proposed Placing of Ordinary Shares

London, 7 April 2022 - 888 (LSE: 888), one of the world's leading online betting and gaming companies, today announces its intention to conduct a non-pre-emptive placing of up to 70.8 million new ordinary shares in the capital of the Company (the "Placing Shares"), representing approximately 19 per cent. of the issued ordinary share capital of the Company (the "Placing").

The Placing will be conducted through an accelerated bookbuild process (the "Bookbuild") which will be launched immediately following this Announcement, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Placing set out in Appendix I.

Rationale for the Placing and Use of Proceeds

The Company has separately today released an update on the acquisition of the international (non-US) business of William Hill ("William Hill") which includes details of revised transaction terms and an update on the financing of the Acquisition (the "Acquisition of William Hill Update Announcement"). The Company proposes to use the net proceeds of the Placing to partially finance the acquisition of William Hill. This Placing replaces the previously announced expectation to raise approximately £500 million of gross proceeds at the appropriate time by issuing new equity via a capital raise. This Announcement should be read in conjunction with the Acquisition of William Hill Update Announcement.

Details of the Placing

J.P. Morgan Securities plc which conducts its UK investment banking activities as J.P. Morgan Cazenove ("J.P. Morgan Cazenove") and Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc ("Morgan Stanley") are acting as joint global co-ordinators (together the "Joint Global Coordinators") and Mediobanca Banca di Credito Finanziario S.p.A. ("Mediobanca") and Barclays Bank PLC ("Barclays") and together with the Joint Global Coordinators are acting as bookrunners (together, the "Bookrunners") in connection with the Placing.

The Placing is subject to the terms and conditions set out in Appendix I of this Announcement.

The Bookrunners will commence the Bookbuilding Process immediately following the release of this Announcement in respect of the Placing. The price at which the Placing Shares are to be placed (the "Placing Price") will be determined following the close of the Bookbuilding Process by agreement between the Company and the Bookrunners.

The book will open with immediate effect following this Announcement. The timing of the closing of the book, pricing and allocations are at the absolute discretion of the Bookrunners and the Company. Details of the Placing Price and the number of Placing Shares to be allotted and issued will be announced as soon as reasonably practicable after the close of the Bookbuilding Process.

The Placing Shares, when issued, will be fully paid and will rank pari passu in all respects with each other and with the existing ordinary shares of the Company, including, without limitation, the right to receive all dividends and other distributions declared, made or paid after the date of issue.

Applications will be made to (i) the Financial Conduct Authority (the "FCA") for admission of the Placing Shares to listing on the premium listing segment of the Official List; and (ii) London Stock Exchange plc for admission of the Placing Shares to trading on its main market for listed securities (together, "Admission").

Settlement for, and Admission of, the Placing Shares is expected to take place on or before 8.00 a.m. on 11 April 2022. The Placing is conditional upon, among other things, Admission becoming effective. The Placing is also conditional upon the placing agreement between the Company and the Bookrunners (the "Placing Agreement") becoming unconditional and not being terminated in accordance with its terms. The Appendices to this Announcement set out further information relating to the terms and conditions of the Placing.

888 acknowledges that it is seeking to issue Placing Shares amounting to up to approximately 19 per cent. of its issued ordinary share capital on a non-pre-emptive basis. The Company has consulted with its major institutional shareholders ahead of release of this Announcement, which has confirmed the Board's view that the Placing is in the best interests of shareholders.

This Announcement should be read in its entirety. In particular, you should read and understand the Information provided in the "Important Notices" section of this Announcement. The Appendices to this Announcement set out further information relating to the terms and conditions and additional key information of the Placing. Unless otherwise stated, capitalised terms in this Announcement have the meanings ascribed to them in the Appendices (which forms part of this Announcement).

Investors who have chosen to participate in the Placing, by making an oral or written offer to acquire Placing Shares, will be deemed to have read and understood this Announcement and the Acquisition of William Hill Update Announcement in their entirety (including the Appendices) and to be making such offer on the terms and subject to the conditions herein, and to be providing the representations, warranties, agreements, acknowledgements and undertakings contained in the Appendices to this Announcement.

Enquiries and further information:

888 Holdings Plc	[phone]
Itai Pazner, Chief Executive Officer Yariv Dafna, Chief Financial Officer Vaughan Lewis, Chief Strategy Officer
Investor Relations James Finney	[e-mail]
Media Hudson Sandler Alex Brennan Charlotte Cobb Andy Richards J.P. Morgan Cazenove Nicholas Hall Will Holyoak Morgan Stanley James Manson-Bahr Angus Millar	[e-mail] [phone] [phone] [phone]
Mediobanca	[phone]
Barclays	[phone]

About 888 Holdings Plc:

888 Holdings plc (and together with its subsidiaries, "888" or the "Group") is one of the world's leading online betting and gaming companies. 888's mission is to lead the gambling world in creating the best betting and gaming experiences, bringing unrivalled moments of excitement to people's day-to-day lives by developing state-of-the-art technology and products that provide fun, fair and safe online betting and gaming entertainment to customers around the world.

888 has been at the forefront of the online gaming industry since its foundation in 1997, leveraging its proprietary technology to create an innovative and world-class online betting and gaming experience. The Group is structured into two lines of business: B2C, under the 888 brands, and B2B, conducted through Dragonfish, which provides partners a leading platform through which to establish an online gaming presence and monetise their own brands in a safe and responsible manner.

In recent years, 888's continued focus on innovation has been recognised through industry awards. In 2021, the Group was named Casino Operator of the Year and its in-house sportsbook was recognised as the In-House Product of the Year at eGaming Review's (EGR) prestigious Operator of the Year Awards. In the same year, the Group also won the Poker Marketing Campaign at EGR's Marketing & Innovation Awards for its Made to Play campaign.

888's consumer facing websites offer more than just online betting and gaming. They are entertainment destinations: places where people can enjoy a truly interactive experience and be part of an online community that shares common interests. 888's strong and trusted brands are all accessible through  www.888.com.

Find out more about 888 at  http://corporate.888.com/ .

Important Notices

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, INCLUDING THE APPENDICES AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THEM, IS RESTRICTED AND IS NOT FOR PUBLICATION, RELEASE, FORWARDING OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (INCLUDING ITS TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS, ANY STATE OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (COLLECTIVELY, THE "UNITED STATES")), AUSTRALIA, CANADA, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA, JAPAN OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH PUBLICATION, RELEASE OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL. FURTHER, THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT AN OFFER OF SECURITIES IN ANY JURISDICTION. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT HAS NOT BEEN APPROVED BY THE LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE, NOR IS IT INTENDED THAT IT WILL BE SO APPROVED

This Announcement is not for public release, publication, distribution or forwarding, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States, Australia, Canada, the Republic of South Africa, Japan or any other jurisdiction in which such release, publication, distribution or forwarding would be unlawful. No public offering of the securities referred to herein is being made in any such jurisdiction or elsewhere.

The securities referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or with any securities regulatory authority of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States, and may not be offered, sold or transferred directly or indirectly in or into the United States, except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and in compliance with the securities laws of any state or any other jurisdiction of the United States. Accordingly, the Placing Shares are being offered and sold by the Company only (i) outside the United States in "offshore transactions" (as such terms are defined in Regulation S under the Securities Act ("Regulation S")) in reliance on Regulation S under the Securities Act and otherwise in accordance with applicable laws; and (ii) in the United States to a limited number of persons reasonably believed to be "qualified institutional buyers" (as defined in Rule 144A under the Securities Act). No public offering of the Placing Shares is being made in the United States.

No action has been taken by the Company, any of the Bookrunners or any of their respective affiliates, or any of its or their respective directors, officers, partners, employees, advisers or agents (collectively, "Representatives") that would, or is intended to, permit an offer of the Placing Shares or possession or distribution of this Announcement or any other publicity material relating to such Placing Shares in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required. Persons receiving this Announcement are required to inform themselves about and to observe any restrictions contained in this Announcement. The distribution of this Announcement, and the Placing and/or the offer or sale of the Placing Shares, may be restricted by law in certain jurisdictions. Persons (including, without limitation, nominees and trustees) who have a contractual or other legal obligation to forward a copy of this Announcement should seek appropriate advice before taking any action. Persons distributing any part of this Announcement must satisfy themselves that it is lawful to do so.

Members of the public are not eligible to take part in the Placing. This Announcement is directed at and is only being distributed to persons: (a) if in member states of the European Economic Area (the "EEA"), "qualified investors" within the meaning of Article 2(e) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 (the "EUProspectus Regulation") ("Qualified Investors"); or (b) if in the United Kingdom, Qualified Investors within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the UK version of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 as it forms part of UK law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (the "UK Prospectus Regulation") who are (i) persons who fall within the definition of "investment professionals" in Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the "Order"), or (ii) persons who fall within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order; or (c) persons to whom it may otherwise lawfully be communicated (each such person above, a "Relevant Person"). No other person should act or rely on this Announcement and persons distributing this Announcement must satisfy themselves that it is lawful to do so. By accepting the terms of this Announcement, you represent and agree that you are a Relevant Person, if in the United Kingdom, or a Qualified Investor, if in a member state of the EEA. This Announcement must not be acted on or relied on by persons who are not Relevant Persons, if in the United Kingdom, or Qualified Investors, if in a member state of the EEA. Any investment or investment activity to which this Announcement or the Placing relates is available only to Relevant Persons, if in the United Kingdom, and Qualified Investors, if in a member state of the EEA, and will be engaged in only with Relevant Persons, if in the United Kingdom, and Qualified Investors, if in a member state of the EEA.

No offering document or prospectus will be made available in any jurisdiction in connection with the matters contained or referred to in this Announcement or the Placing and no such offering document or prospectus is required (in accordance with the EU Prospectus Regulation or UK Prospectus Regulation) to be published.

In Canada, no prospectus has been filed with any securities commission or similar regulatory authority in respect of the Placing Shares. No such securities commission or similar regulatory authority in Canada has reviewed or in any way passed upon the merits of any proposed offering of the Placing Shares and any representation to the contrary is an offence; no prospectus has been lodged with, or registered by, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission or the Japanese Ministry of Finance; the relevant clearances have not been, and will not be, obtained for the South Africa Reserve Bank or any other applicable body in the Republic of South Africa in relation to the Placing Shares and the Placing Shares have not been, nor will they be, registered under or offering in compliance with the securities laws of any state, province or territory of Australia, Canada, the Republic of South Africa or Japan. Accordingly, the Placing Shares may not (unless an exemption under the relevant securities laws is applicable) be offered, sold, resold or delivered, directly or indirectly, in or into Australia, Canada, the Republic of South Africa, or Japan or any other jurisdiction in which such activities would be unlawful.

In Canada, the Placing Shares may only be offered and sold in the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec on a basis exempt from the prospectus requirements of applicable securities laws. In connection with any offer or sale made to investors in the Placing that are located in Canada, the Placee will be required to provide a signed investor letter, confirming its eligibility to participate in the Placing and containing additional prescribed disclosure for the purposes of compliance with Canadian securities law requirements.

This announcement may contain certain forward-looking statements, beliefs or opinions, with respect to the financial condition, results of operations and business of the Company, the Enlarged Group following the Acquisition and the Acquired Businesses. These statements, which contain the words "anticipate", "believe", "intend", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "seek", "continue", "aim", "target", "projected", "plan", "goal", "achieve" and words of similar meaning, reflect the Company's beliefs and expectations and are based on numerous assumptions regarding the Company's present and future business strategies and the environment the Company and the Enlarged Group will operate in and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially. No representation is made that any of these statements or forecasts will come to pass or that any forecast results will be achieved. Forward-looking statements involve inherent known and unknown risks, uncertainties and contingencies because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future and may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company or the Enlarged Group to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. Many of these risks and uncertainties relate to factors that are beyond the Company's or the Enlarged Group's ability to control or estimate precisely, such as future market conditions, currency fluctuations, the behaviour of other market participants, the actions of regulators and other factors such as the Company's or the Enlarged Group's ability to continue to obtain financing to meet its liquidity needs, changes in the political, social and regulatory framework in which the Company or WHI operate or in economic or technological trends or conditions. Past performance of the Company or WHI cannot be relied on as a guide to future performance. As a result, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The list above is not exhaustive and there are other factors that may cause the Company's or the Enlarged Group's actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this announcement Forward-looking statements speak only as of their date and the Company, its respective parent and subsidiary undertakings, the subsidiary undertakings of such parent undertakings, the Bookrunners and any of such person's respective directors, officers, employees, agents, affiliates or advisers expressly disclaim any obligation to supplement, amend, update or revise any of the forward-looking statements made herein, except where it would be required to do so under applicable law. You are advised to read this announcement and, once published, the Combined Circular and Prospectus in their entirety for a further discussion of the factors that could affect the Company's future performance. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the events described in the forward-looking statements in this announcement may not occur. No statement in this announcement is intended as a profit forecast or a profit estimate and no statement in this announcement should be interpreted to mean that the financial performance of the Company for the current or future financial years would necessarily match or exceed the historical published for the Company.

J.P. Morgan, Morgan Stanley and Barclays, each of which is authorised by the UK Prudential Regulation Authority ("PRA") and regulated in the United Kingdom by the PRA and the Financial Conduct Authority ("FCA"), and Mediobanca, which is authorised under Italian Banking Law by Banca D'Italia and Commissione Nazionale per la Società e la Borsa, are acting exclusively for the Company and for no one else in connection with the Placing and will not regard any other person (whether or not a recipient of this Announcement) as a client in relation to the Placing or any other matter referred to in this Announcement and will not be responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to its clients or for giving advice in relation to the Placing or any other matter referred to in this Announcement.

This Announcement is being issued by and is the sole responsibility of the Company. No representation or warranty, express or implied, is or will be made as to, or in relation to, and no responsibility or liability is or will be accepted by or on behalf of any Bookrunner (apart from the responsibilities or liabilities that may be imposed by the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, as amended ("FSMA") or the regulatory regime established thereunder) or by its affiliates or any of its Representatives as to, or in relation to, the accuracy, adequacy, fairness or completeness of this Announcement or any other written or oral information made available to or publicly available to any interested party or its advisers or any other statement made or purported to be made by or on behalf of any Bookrunner or any of its affiliates or any of its Representatives in connection with the Company, the Placing Shares or the Placing and any responsibility and liability whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise therefore is expressly disclaimed. No representation or warranty, express or implied, is made by any Bookrunner or any of its affiliates or any of its Representatives as to the accuracy, fairness, verification, completeness or sufficiency of the information or opinions contained in this Announcement or any other written or oral information made available to or publicly available to any interested party or its advisers, and any liability therefore is expressly disclaimed.

The information in this Announcement may not be forwarded or distributed to any other person and may not be reproduced in any manner whatsoever. Any forwarding, distribution, reproduction or disclosure of this Announcement, in whole or in part, is unauthorised. Failure to comply with this directive may result in a violation of the Securities Act or the applicable laws of other jurisdictions.

This Announcement does not constitute a recommendation concerning any investor's investment decision with respect to the Placing. Recipients of this Announcement should conduct their own investigation, evaluation and analysis of the business, data and other information described in this Announcement. This Announcement does not identify or suggest, or purport to identify or suggest, the risks (direct or indirect) that may be associated with an investment in the Placing Shares. The price and value of securities can go down as well as up and investors may not get back the full amount invested upon the disposal of the shares. Past performance is not a guide to future performance. The contents of this Announcement are not to be construed as legal, business, financial or tax advice. Each investor or prospective investor should consult with his or her or its own legal adviser, business adviser, financial adviser or tax adviser for legal, business, financial or tax advice.

Any indication in this Announcement of the price at which the Company's shares have been bought or sold in the past cannot be relied upon as a guide to future performance. Persons needing advice should consult an independent financial adviser. No statement in this Announcement is intended to be a profit forecast or profit estimate for any period and no statement in this Announcement should be interpreted to mean that earnings, earnings per share or income, cash flow from operations or free cash flow for the Company for the current or future financial periods would necessarily match or exceed the historical published earnings, earnings per share or income, cash flow from operations or free cash flow for the Company.

All offers of the Placing Shares will be made pursuant to an exemption under the UK Prospectus Regulation from the requirement to produce a prospectus. This Announcement is being distributed and communicated to persons in the United Kingdom only in circumstances in which section 21(1) of FSMA does not apply.

The Placing Shares to be issued pursuant to the Placing will not be admitted to trading on any stock exchange other than the main market for listed securities of the London Stock Exchange.

In connection with the Placing, any Bookrunner and any of its affiliates or any of its Representatives, acting as investors for their own account, may take up a portion of the Placing Shares in the Placing as a principal position and in that capacity may retain, purchase, sell, offer to sell for the own accounts or otherwise deal for their own account in such Placing Shares and other securities of the Company or related investments in connection with the Placing or otherwise. Accordingly, references to Placing Shares being offered, acquired, placed or otherwise dealt in should be read as including any issue or offer to, or acquisition, placing or dealing by, any Bookrunner and any of its affiliates and its Representatives acting in such capacity. In addition, any Bookrunner and any of its affiliates or its Representatives may enter into financing arrangements (including swaps, warrants or contracts for difference) with investors in connection with which any Bookrunner and any of its affiliates may from time to time acquire, hold or dispose of shares. None of the Bookrunners intends to disclose the extent of any such investment or transactions otherwise than in accordance with any legal or regulatory obligations to do so.

Appendix I to this Announcement sets out the terms and conditions of the Placing. By participating in the Placing, each Placee will be deemed to have read and understood this Announcement (including the Appendices) in its entirety, to be participating in the Placing and making an offer to acquire and acquiring Placing Shares on the terms and subject to the conditions set out in Appendix I to this Announcement and to be providing the representations, warranties, undertakings and acknowledgements contained in Appendix I to this Announcement.

Neither the content of the Company's website (or any other website) nor the content of any website accessible from hyperlinks on the Company's website (or any other website) is incorporated into, or forms part of, this Announcement.

This Announcement has been prepared for the purposes of complying with applicable law and regulation in the United Kingdom and the information disclosed may not be the same as that which would have been disclosed if this Announcement had been prepared in accordance with the laws and regulations of any jurisdiction outside the United Kingdom.

UK Product Governance Requirements

Solely for the purposes of the product governance requirements contained within the FCA Handbook Product Intervention and Product Governance Sourcebook (the "UK Product Governance Rules"), and disclaiming all and any liability, whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise, which any 'manufacturer' (for the purposes of the UK Product Governance Rules) may otherwise have with respect thereto, the Placing Shares have been subject to a product approval process, which has determined that such Placing Shares are: (a) compatible with an end target market of retail investors and investors who meet the criteria of professional clients and eligible counterparties, each as defined in Chapter 3 of the FCA Handbook Conduct of Business Sourcebook ("COBS"); and (b) eligible for distribution through all permitted distribution channels (the "UK target market assessment"). Notwithstanding the UK target market assessment, distributors should note that: the price of the Placing Shares may decline and investors could lose all or part of their investment; the Placing Shares offer no guaranteed income and no capital protection; and an investment in the Placing Shares is compatible only with investors who do not need a guaranteed income or capital protection, who (either alone or in conjunction with an appropriate financial or other adviser) are capable of evaluating the merits and risks of such an investment and who have sufficient resources to be able to bear any losses that may result therefrom. The UK target market assessment is without prejudice to the requirements of any contractual, legal or regulatory selling restrictions in relation to the Placing. Furthermore, it is noted that, notwithstanding the UK target market assessment, each of the Bookrunners will only procure investors who meet the criteria of professional clients and eligible counterparties.

For the avoidance of doubt, the UK target market assessment does not constitute: (a) an assessment of suitability or appropriateness for the purposes of COBS 9A and COBS 10A, respectively; or (b) a recommendation to any investor or group of investors to invest in, or purchase or take any other action whatsoever with respect to the Placing Shares. Each distributor is responsible for undertaking its own UK target market assessment in respect of the Placing Shares and determining appropriate distribution channels.

EU Product Governance Requirements

Solely for the purposes of the product governance requirements contained within: (a) EU Directive 2014/65/EU on markets in financial instruments, as amended ("MiFID II"); (b) Articles 9 and 10 of Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2017/593 supplementing MiFID II; and (c) local implementing measures (together, the "MiFID II Product Governance Requirements"), and disclaiming all and any liability, whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise, which any 'manufacturer' (for the purposes of the MiFID II Product Governance Requirements) may otherwise have with respect thereto, the Placing Shares have been subject to a product approval process, which has determined that such Placing Shares are: (i) compatible with an end target market of retail investors and investors who meet the criteria of professional clients and eligible counterparties, each as defined in MiFID II; and (ii) eligible for distribution through all distribution channels as are permitted by MiFID II (the "Target Market Assessment"). Notwithstanding the Target Market Assessment, distributors should note that: the price of the Placing Shares may decline and investors could lose all or part of their investment; the Placing Shares offer no guaranteed income and no capital protection; and an investment in the Placing Shares is compatible only with investors who do not need a guaranteed income or capital protection, who (either alone or in conjunction with an appropriate financial or other adviser) are capable of evaluating the merits and risks of such an investment and who have sufficient resources to be able to bear any losses that may result therefrom. The Target Market Assessment is without prejudice to the requirements of any contractual, legal or regulatory selling restrictions in relation to the Placing. Furthermore, it is noted that, notwithstanding the Target Market Assessment, each the Bookrunners will only procure investors who meet the criteria of professional clients and eligible counterparties.

For the avoidance of doubt, the Target Market Assessment does not constitute: (a) an assessment of suitability or appropriateness for the purposes of MiFID II; or (b) a recommendation to any investor or group of investors to invest in, or purchase, or take any other action whatsoever with respect to the Placing Shares. Each distributor is responsible for undertaking its own target market assessment in respect of the Placing Shares and determining appropriate distribution channels.

Appendix I: Terms and conditions of the Placing for invited placees only

MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO TAKE PART IN THE PLACING.  THIS ANNOUNCEMENT (INCLUDING THE APPENDIX) AND THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET OUT HEREIN (THE "ANNOUNCEMENT") IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS DIRECTED ONLY AT PERSONS WHOSE ORDINARY ACTIVITIES INVOLVE THEM IN ACQUIRING, HOLDING, MANAGING AND DISPOSING OF INVESTMENTS (AS PRINCIPAL OR AGENT) FOR THE PURPOSES OF THEIR BUSINESS AND WHO HAVE PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE IN MATTERS RELATING TO INVESTMENTS AND ARE: (A) IF IN A MEMBER STATE OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA (THE "EEA"), PERSONS WHO ARE QUALIFIED INVESTORS ("QUALIFIED INVESTORS"), BEING PERSONS FALLING WITHIN THE MEANING OF ARTICLE 2(E) OF REGULATION (EU) 2017/1129 (THE "EUPROSPECTUS REGULATION"); OR (B) IF IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, QUALIFIED INVESTORS WITHIN THE MEANING OF ARTICLE 2(E) OF THE UK VERSION OF REGULATION (EU) 2017/1129 AS IT FORMS PART OF UK LAW BY VIRTUE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION (WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018 (THE "UK PROSPECTUS REGULATION") WHO ARE (I) PERSONS WHO FALL WITHIN THE DEFINITION OF "INVESTMENT PROFESSIONALS" IN ARTICLE 19(5) OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS ACT 2000 (FINANCIAL PROMOTION) ORDER 2005, AS AMENDED (THE "ORDER"), OR (II) PERSONS WHO FALL WITHIN ARTICLE 49(2)(A) TO (D) ("HIGH NET WORTH COMPANIES, UNINCORPORATED ASSOCIATIONS, ETC") OF THE ORDER, OR (III) PERSONS TO WHOM IT MAY OTHERWISE LAWFULLY BE COMMUNICATED (ALL SUCH PERSONS REFERRED TO IN (B) ABOVE TOGETHER BEING REFERRED TO AS "RELEVANT PERSONS").

NO OTHER PERSON SHOULD ACT OR RELY ON THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. BY ACCEPTING THE TERMS OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT YOU REPRESENT AND AGREE THAT YOU ARE EITHER A QUALIFIED INVESTOR OR A RELEVANT PERSON.  THIS APPENDIX AND THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET OUT HEREIN MUST NOT BE ACTED ON OR RELIED ON BY PERSONS WHO ARE NOT QUALIFIED INVESTORS IN THE EEA AND RELEVANT PERSONS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM.  PERSONS DISTRIBUTING THIS ANNOUNCEMENT MUST SATISFY THEMSELVES THAT IT IS LAWFUL TO DO SO. ANY INVESTMENT OR INVESTMENT ACTIVITY TO WHICH THIS ANNOUNCEMENT RELATES IS AVAILABLE ONLY TO RELEVANT PERSONS AND WILL BE ENGAGED IN ONLY WITH RELEVANT PERSONS.  THIS ANNOUNCEMENT DOES NOT ITSELF CONSTITUTE AN OFFER FOR SALE OR SUBSCRIPTION OF ANY SECURITIES IN THE COMPANY.

EACH PLACEE SHOULD CONSULT WITH ITS OWN ADVISERS AS TO LEGAL, TAX, BUSINESS AND RELATED ASPECTS OF AN INVESTMENT IN THE PLACING SHARES.

THE PLACING SHARES HAVE NOT BEEN AND WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE "SECURITIES ACT"), OR UNDER THE SECURITIES LAWS OF, OR WITH ANY SECURITIES REGULATORY AUTHORITY OF, ANY STATE OR OTHER JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED STATES, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD, PLEDGED, TAKEN UP, EXERCISED, RESOLD, RENOUNCED, DELIVERED OR TRANSFERRED, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES ABSENT REGISTRATION UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OR PURSUANT TO AN AVAILABLE EXEMPTION FROM, OR IN A TRANSACTION NOT SUBJECT TO, THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT AND IN COMPLIANCE WITH ANY APPLICABLE SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY STATE OR OTHER JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED STATES. SUBJECT TO CERTAIN EXCEPTIONS, THE PLACING IS BEING MADE OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES IN OFFSHORE TRANSACTIONS WITHIN THE MEANING OF, AND IN RELIANCE ON, REGULATION S UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT AND INSIDE THE UNITED STATES ONLY TO PERSONS REASONABLY BELIEVED TO BE "QUALIFIED INSTITUTIONAL BUYER", AS DEFINED IN RULE 144A UNDER THE US SECURITIES ACT, IN TRANSACTIONS NOT INVOLVING ANY "PUBLIC OFFERING" WITHIN THE MEANING OF SECTION 4(A)(2) OF THE SECURITIES ACT AND/OR PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE US SECURITIES ACT. NO PUBLIC OFFERING OF THE SHARES REFERRED TO IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS BEING MADE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, THE UNITED STATES, ANY RESTRICTED TERRITORY OR ELSEWHERE.

Unless otherwise stated, capitalised terms in this Appendix have the meanings ascribed to them in Appendix II.

This Announcement is for information only and does not itself constitute or form part of an offer to sell or issue or the solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe for securities referred to herein in any jurisdiction including, without limitation, the United States, any Restricted Territory (as defined below) or in any jurisdiction where such offer or solicitation is unlawful.  No public offering of securities will be made in connection with the Placing in the United Kingdom, Gibraltar, the United States, any Restricted Territory or elsewhere.

This Announcement, and the information contained herein, is not for release, publication or distribution, directly or indirectly, to persons in the United States, Australia, Canada, the Republic of South Africa or Japan (each a "Restricted Territory") or in any jurisdiction in which such publication or distribution is unlawful. The distribution of this Announcement and the Placing and/or the offer or sale of the Placing Shares in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law.  No action has been taken by the Company or by J.P. Morgan Securities plc ("J.P. Morgan"), Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc ("Morgan Stanley" and, together with J.P. Morgan, the "Joint Global Coordinators"), Mediobanca Banca di Credito Finanziario S.p.A. ("Mediobanca") or Barclays Bank PLC ("Barclays" and together with J.P. Morgan, Morgan Stanley and Mediobanca the "Bookrunners") or any of their respective Affiliates or Representatives which would permit an offer of the Placing Shares or possession or distribution of this Announcement or any other offering or publicity material relating to such Placing Shares in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required.  Persons distributing any part of this Announcement must satisfy themselves that it is lawful to do so.  Persons (including, without limitation, nominees and trustees) who have a contractual or other legal obligation to forward a copy of this Announcement should seek appropriate advice before taking any such action.  Persons into whose possession this Announcement comes are required by the Company and the Bookrunners to inform themselves about, and to observe, any such restrictions.

All offers of the Placing Shares will be made pursuant to an exemption under the EU Prospectus Regulation and the UK Prospectus Regulation from the requirement to produce a prospectus. This Announcement is being distributed and communicated to persons in the UK only in circumstances to which section 21(1) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, as amended ("FSMA") does not apply.

The Placing Shares have not been approved or disapproved by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, any State securities commission or any other regulatory authority in the United States, nor have any of the foregoing authorities passed upon or endorsed the merits of the Placing or the accuracy or adequacy of this Announcement. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offence in the United States.

Subject to certain exceptions, the securities referred to in this Announcement may not be offered or sold in any Restricted Territory or to, or for the account or benefit of, a citizen or resident, or a corporation, partnership or other entity created or organised in or under the laws of a Restricted Territory.

This Announcement has been issued by, and is the sole responsibility of, the Company. No representation or warranty, express or implied, is or will be made as to, or in relation to, and no responsibility or liability is or will be accepted by any Bookrunner or any of their respective Affiliates or Representatives as to or in relation to, the accuracy or completeness of this Announcement or any other written or oral information made available to or publicly available to any party or its advisers, and any liability therefore is expressly disclaimed.

J.P. Morgan, Morgan Stanley and Barclays, each of which is authorised by the PRA and regulated in the United Kingdom by the PRA and the FCA, and Mediobanca, which is authorised under Italian Banking Law by Banca D'Italia and Commissione Nazionale per la Società e la Borsa, are acting exclusively for the Company and no‑one else in connection with the Placing and are not, and will not be, responsible to anyone (including the Placees) other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to their clients nor for providing advice in relation to the Placing and/or any other matter referred to in this Announcement.

None of the Company or the Bookrunners or their respective Affiliates or Representatives makes any representation or warranty, express or implied to any Placees regarding any investment in the securities referred to in this Announcement under the laws applicable to such Placees.  Each Placee should consult its own advisers as to the legal, tax, business, financial and related aspects of an investment in the Placing Shares.

By participating in the Placing, Placees (including individuals, funds or otherwise) by whom or on whose behalf a commitment to acquire Placing Shares has been given will (i) be deemed to have read and understood this Announcement, in its entirety; and (ii) be making such offer on the terms and conditions contained in this Appendix, including being deemed to be providing (and shall only be permitted to participate in the Placing on the basis that they have provided) the representations, warranties, acknowledgements and undertakings set out herein .

In particular each such Placee represents, warrants and acknowledges that:

(a)  it is a Relevant Person and undertakes that it will acquire, hold, manage or dispose of any Placing Shares that are allocated to it for the purposes of its business;

(b)  it is and, at the time the Placing Shares are acquired, will be, subject to certain exceptions, (i) outside the United States and is acquiring the Placing Shares in an "offshore transaction" in accordance with Rule 903 of Regulation S under the Securities Act ("Regulation S"); or (ii) a "qualified institutional buyer" as defined in Rule 144A under the Securities Act;

(c)  if acquiring the Placing Shares for the account of one or more other persons, it has full power and authority to make the representations, warranties, agreements and acknowledgements herein on behalf of each such account; and

(d)  if it is a financial intermediary, as that term is used in Article 5(l) of the EU Prospectus Regulation and the UK Prospectus Regulation, that it understands the resale and transfer restrictions set out in this Appendix and that any Placing Shares acquired by it in the Placing will not be acquired on a non‑discretionary basis on behalf of, nor will they be acquired with a view to their offer or resale to, persons in circumstances which may give rise to an offer of securities to the public other than an offer or resale in a member state of the EEA to Qualified Investors or in the United Kingdom to Relevant Persons, or in circumstances in which the prior consent of the Bookrunners has been given to each such proposed offer or resale.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR PLACEES ONLY REGARDING THE PLACING

Defined terms used in this Appendix are set out in Appendix II:

1.  Bookbuild

Following this Announcement, the Bookrunners will commence a bookbuilding process in respect of the Placing (the "Bookbuild") to determine demand for participation in the Placing by Placees.  No commissions will be paid to Placees or by Placees in respect of any Placing Shares.  The book will open with immediate effect.  Members of the public are not entitled to participate in the Placing.  This Appendix gives details of the terms and conditions of, and the mechanics of participation in, the Placing.

2.  Details of the Placing Agreement and of the Placing Shares

2.1  J.P. Morgan and Morgan Stanley are acting as joint global‑coordinators, and together with Barclays and Mediobanca as joint bookrunners, in connection with the Placing.  The Bookrunners have entered into an agreement with the Company (the "Placing Agreement") under which, subject to the conditions set out therein, the Bookrunners have agreed, severally and not jointly nor jointly and severally, to use their respective reasonable endeavours to procure Placees for the Placing Shares at such price, if any, as may be determined by the Company and the Bookrunners following completion of the Bookbuild and set out in the executed placing terms (the "Placing Terms") and, to the extent that any Placee fails to acquire the Placing Shares allocated to it, each of the Bookrunners has agreed, severally and not jointly or jointly and severally, to subscribe for such Placing Shares at the Placing Price.

2.2  The price per Ordinary Share at which the Placing Shares are to be placed (the "Placing Price") and the final number of Placing Shares will be decided at the close of the Bookbuild following the execution of the Placing Terms by the Company and the Bookrunners.  The timing of the closing of the book, pricing and allocations are at the discretion of the Company and the Bookrunners.  Details of the Placing Price and the number of Placing Shares will be announced as soon as practicable after the close of the Bookbuild.

2.3  The total number of shares to be issued pursuant to the Placing shall not exceed 70,806,504 Ordinary Shares, representing approximately 19% of the Company's existing ordinary share capital.

2.4  The Placing Shares have been duly authorised and will, when issued, be credited as fully paid and will rank pari passu in all respects with the existing Ordinary Shares, including the right to receive all dividends and other distributions declared, made or paid in respect of the Ordinary Shares after the date of issue.  The Placing Shares will be issued free of any encumbrances, liens or other security interests.

2.5  The Placing will be effected by way of a placing of new ordinary shares in the Company for non-cash consideration. J.P. Morgan will subscribe for ordinary shares and redeemable preference shares in JerseyCo, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, for an amount approximately equal to the net proceeds of the Placing. The Company will allot and issue the Placing Shares on a non-pre-emptive basis to Placees in consideration for the transfer of the ordinary shares and redeemable preference shares in JerseyCo that will be issued to J.P. Morgan.

3.  Application for admission to trading

The Company will apply to the Financial Conduct Authority (the "FCA") for admission of the Placing Shares to the premium listing segment of the Official List of the FCA (the "Official List") and to London Stock Exchange plc (the "London Stock Exchange") for admission to trading of the Placing Shares on its Main Market for listed securities (together, "Admission").  It is expected that Admission will become effective at or around 8.00 a.m. on 11 April 2022 (or such later time or date as may be agreed by the Company and the Bookrunners) and that dealings in the Placing Shares will commence at that time.

4.  Participation in, and principal terms of, the Placing

4.1  The Bookrunners are arranging the Placing severally, and not jointly, nor jointly and severally, as agents of the Company.  Participation will only be available to persons who may lawfully be, and are, invited to participate by any of the Bookrunners.  Each of the Bookrunners and their respective Affiliates are entitled to enter bids as principal in the Bookbuild.

4.2  The Bookbuild, if successful, will establish the Placing Price payable to the Bookrunners by all Placees whose bids are successful.  The Placing Price and the aggregate proceeds to be raised through the Placing will be agreed between the Bookrunners and the Company following completion of the Bookbuild.  The Placing Price will be announced on a Regulatory Information Service following the completion of the Bookbuild.

4.3  To bid in the Bookbuild, Placees should communicate their bid by telephone or in writing to their usual sales contact at either of the Bookrunners.  Each bid should state the number of Placing Shares which the prospective Placee wishes to acquire either at the Placing Price which is ultimately established by the Company and the Bookrunners or at prices up to a price limit specified in its bid.  Bids may be scaled down by the Bookrunners on the basis referred to in paragraph 4.6 below.

4.4  The Bookbuild is expected to close no later than 5:00 p.m. (London time) on 7 April 2022 but may be closed earlier or later, at the discretion of the Bookrunners. The Bookrunners may, in agreement with the Company, accept bids that are received after the Bookbuild has closed.

4.5  Each Placee's allocation will be confirmed to Placees orally or in writing by the relevant Bookrunner following the close of the Bookbuild, and a trade confirmation or contract note will be dispatched as soon as possible thereafter.  Subject to paragraph 4.7 below, the relevant Bookrunner's confirmation to such Placee will constitute an irrevocable legally binding commitment upon such person (who will at that point become a Placee) in favour of such Bookrunner and the Company, under which such Placee agrees to acquire the number of Placing Shares allocated to it and to pay the relevant Placing Price on the terms and conditions set out in this Appendix and in accordance with the Company's corporate documents.

4.6  Subject to paragraphs 4.2 and 4.3 above, the Bookrunners will, in effecting the Placing, agree with the Company the identity of the Placees and the basis of allocation of the Placing Shares and may scale down any bids for this purpose on such basis as it may determine.  The Bookrunners may also, notwithstanding paragraphs 4.2 and 4.3 above and subject to the prior consent of the Company, (i) allocate Placing Shares after the time of any initial allocation to any person submitting a bid after that time and (ii) allocate Placing Shares after the Bookbuild has closed to any person submitting a bid after that time.  The acceptance of offers shall be at the absolute discretion of the Bookrunners.

4.7  The allocation and delivery of the Placing Shares to the Placees shall be conditional on the execution by each Placee of an Investor Representation Letter to be circulated to each prospective Placee by the relevant Bookrunner during the Bookbuild.

4.8  A bid in the Bookbuild will be made on the terms and subject to the conditions in this Appendix and will be legally binding on the Placee on behalf of which it is made and except with the relevant Bookrunner's consent will not be capable of variation or revocation after the time at which it is submitted. Each Placee will also have an immediate, separate, irrevocable and binding obligation, owed to the relevant Bookrunner, to pay it (or as it may direct) in cleared funds an amount equal to the product of the Placing Price and the number of Placing Shares that such Placee has agreed to acquire. Each Placee's obligations will be owed to the relevant Bookrunner.

4.9  Except as required by law or regulation, no press release or other announcement will be made by any of the Bookrunners or the Company using the name of any Placee (or its agent), in its capacity as Placee (or agent), other than with such Placee's prior written consent.

4.10  Irrespective of the time at which a Placee's allocation(s) pursuant to the Placing is/are confirmed, settlement for all Placing Shares to be acquired pursuant to the Placing will be required to be made at the same time, on the basis explained below under "Registration and Settlement".

4.11  All obligations under the Bookbuild and Placing will be subject to fulfilment or (where applicable) waiver of the conditions referred to below under "Conditions of the Placing" and to the Placing not being terminated on the basis referred to below under "Termination of the Placing Agreement".

4.12  By participating in the Bookbuild, each Placee agrees that its rights and obligations in respect of the Placing will terminate only in the circumstances described below and will not be capable of rescission or termination by the Placee after confirmation (oral or otherwise) by a Bookrunner.

4.13  To the fullest extent permissible by law, none of the Bookrunners, the Company or any of their respective Affiliates or Representatives shall have any responsibility or liability to Placees (or to any other person whether acting on behalf of a Placee or otherwise). In particular, none of the Bookrunners, nor the Company, nor any of their respective Affiliates or Representatives shall have any responsibility or liability (including to the extent permissible by law, any fiduciary duties) in respect of the Bookrunners conduct of the Bookbuild or of such alternative method of effecting the Placing as the Bookrunners, their respective Affiliates and the Company may agree.

5.  Conditions of the Placing

5.1  The Placing is conditional upon the Placing Agreement becoming unconditional and not having been terminated in accordance with its terms. The Bookrunners' obligations under the Placing Agreement are conditional on certain conditions, including: 

(a)  the Terms of Placing having been executed by the Company and the Bookrunners;

(b)  the publication by the Company of the results of the Placing on a Regulatory Information Service immediately following the execution of the Terms of Placing (the "Pricing Announcement");

(c)  each of the warranties on the part of the Company in the Placing Agreement being true and accurate and not misleading on the date of the Placing Agreement, the date of execution of the Terms of Placing and immediately prior to Admission as though, in each such case, they had been given and made on such date by reference to the facts and circumstances then subsisting;

(d)  the Option Agreement and the Subscription and Transfer Agreement having been duly executed and delivered by the parties thereto and not having been terminated in accordance with their terms;

(e)  the Company and JerseyCo not being in breach of any of their obligations and undertakings under the Transaction Documents which, in each case, fall to be performed prior to Admission, save for any breach which is not, in the good faith opinion of the Joint Global Coordinators material in the context of the Placing or Admission;

(f)  in the good faith opinion of either Joint Global Coordinator, there not having been any Material Adverse Change or a Target Material Adverse Change at any time between the date of the Placing Agreement and Admission;

(g)  the Company allotting, subject only to Admission, the Placing Shares in accordance with the Placing Agreement;

(h)  the Acquisition Agreement not having been amended in any material respect of terminated or lapsed in each case prior to Admission; and

(i)  Admission of the Placing Shares occurring at or before 8:00 a.m. (London time) on 11 April 2022 (or such later time or date as may be agreed by the Company and the Bookrunners).

5.2  If: (i) any of the conditions contained in the Placing Agreement, including those described above, are not fulfilled or (where applicable) waived by the Joint Global Coordinators (for themselves and on behalf of the other Bookrunners) by the relevant time or date specified (or such later time or date as the Company and the Bookrunners may agree); or (ii) the Placing Agreement is terminated in the circumstances specified below, the Placing will lapse and the Placees' rights and obligations hereunder in relation to the Placing Shares shall cease and terminate at such time and each Placee agrees that no claim can be made by it in respect thereof.

5.3  The Joint Global Coordinators (for themselves and on behalf of the other Bookrunners) may, at their discretion waive compliance by the Company with the whole or any part of any of the Company's obligations in relation to the conditions in the Placing Agreement save that the conditions described above at (b), (g), and (i) may not be waived. Any such extension or waiver will not affect Placees' commitments as set out in this Announcement.

5.4  None of the Bookrunners shall have any liability to any Placee (or to any other person whether acting on behalf of a Placee or otherwise) in respect of any decision it may make as to whether or not to waive or to extend the time and/or date for the satisfaction of any condition to the Placing nor for any decision it may make as to the satisfaction of any condition or in respect of the Placing generally and by participating in the Placing each Placee agrees that any such decision is within the absolute discretion of the Bookrunners.

5.5  By participating in the Bookbuild, each Placee agrees that its rights and obligations hereunder terminate only in the circumstances described above and under "Termination of the Placing Agreement" below, and will not be capable of rescission or termination by the Placee.

6.  Termination of the Placing Agreement

6.1  The Joint Global Coordinators (for themselves and on behalf of the other Bookrunners) are entitled, at any time before Admission, to terminate the Placing Agreement in accordance with its terms in certain circumstances, including, inter alia, if:

(a)  Any statement contained in this Announcement, the Acquisition Announcement or the Investor Presentation has become or is discovered to be untrue, inaccurate or misleading and is, in the good faith opinion of any Joint Global Coordinator material in the context of the Placing, Acquisition, or Admission;

(b)  there has been a breach by the Company of any of the obligations, undertakings or covenants contained in the Placing Agreement, Option Agreement or the Subscription and Transfer Agreement, or any of the warranties contained in the Placing Agreement, when given, not being, or ceasing to be, true accurate and not misleading;

(c)  in the good faith opinion of any Joint Global Coordinator, there has been a Material Adverse Change or a Target Material Adverse Change; and

(d)  either application for Admission is withdrawn or refused by the FCA or the London Stock Exchange (as applicable); or there has occurred a material adverse change in any major financial market in the United States, the United Kingdom, any member of the European Union or in other international financial markets.

6.2  By participating in the Placing, Placees agree that the exercise by the Bookrunners of any right of termination or other discretion under the Placing Agreement shall be within the absolute discretion of the Company or the Bookrunners or for agreement between the Company and the Bookrunners (as the case may be) and that neither the Company nor the Bookrunners need make any reference to, or consultation with, Placees and that neither the Company, the Bookrunners nor any of their respective Affiliates or Representatives shall have any liability to Placees whatsoever in connection with any such exercise.

7.  No prospectus

7.1  No offering document, prospectus or admission document has been or will be prepared or submitted to be approved by the FCA (or any other authority) or submitted to the London Stock Exchange or in any other jurisdiction in relation to the Placing or Admission and no such prospectus is required (in accordance with the UK Prospectus Regulation) to be published in the United Kingdom or any equivalent document in any other jurisdiction.

7.2  Placees' commitments will be made solely on the basis of publicly available information taken together with the information contained in this Announcement, and any Exchange Information (as defined below) previously published by or on behalf of the Company simultaneously with or prior to the date of this Announcement and subject to the further terms set forth in the trade confirmation or contract note to be provided to individual prospective Placees.

7.3  Each Placee, by accepting a participation in the Placing, agrees that the content of this Announcement, the announcement published by the Company today in relation to the proposed acquisition (the "Acquisition") of the international (non-US) business of the William Hill Group (the "Target") from Caesars Entertainment, Inc. (the "Seller") (the "Acquisition Announcement") and the publicly available information released by or on behalf of the Company is exclusively the responsibility of the Company and confirms to the Bookrunners and the Company that it has neither received nor relied on any other information, representation, warranty, or statement made by or on behalf of the Company (other than publicly available information) or the Bookrunners or their respective Affiliates or Representatives or any other person and none of the Bookrunners or the Company, or any of their respective Affiliates or Representatives or any other person will be liable for any Placee's decision to participate in the Placing based on any other information, representation, warranty or statement which the Placees may have obtained or received (regardless of whether or not such information, representation, warranty or statement was given or made by or on behalf of any such persons). By participating in the Placing, each Placee acknowledges and agrees that it has relied on its own investigation of the business, financial or other position of the Company in accepting a participation in the Placing. Nothing in this paragraph shall exclude or limit the liability of any person for fraudulent misrepresentation by that person.

7.4  The Acquisition constitutes a class 1 transaction and a reverse takeover under the Listing Rules of the FCA and the Company intends to publish in the coming weeks a combined class 1 circular in accordance with the Listing Rules of the FCA and prospectus in accordance with the UK version of Regulation (EU) No 2017/1129, as amended by The Prospectus (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019, which is part of UK law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, for the re-application for admission to listing of the Company's share capital following completion of the Acquisition ("Prospectus"); and such Prospectus will include additional disclosure in relation to the Target, including, without limitation, audited historical financial information on the Target, alternative performance measures on the Target, and pro forma financial information reflecting the Acquisition, which may be different from and which will update, supplement and/or supersede the publicly available information taken together with the information contained in this Announcement, and any Exchange Information (as defined below) previously published by or on behalf of the Company.

8.  Lock‑up

8.1  The Company has undertaken to the Bookrunners that, between the date of the Placing Agreement and 120 calendar days after the Closing Date, it will not, without the prior written consent of the Bookrunners enter into certain transactions involving or relating to the Ordinary Shares, subject to certain carve‑outs agreed between the Bookrunners and the Company.

8.2  By participating in the Placing, Placees agree that the exercise by the Bookrunners of any power to grant consent to waive the undertaking by the Company of a transaction which would otherwise be subject to the lock‑up under the Placing Agreement shall be within the absolute discretion of the Bookrunners and that they need not make any reference to, or consultation with, Placees and that they shall have no liability to Placees whatsoever in connection with any such exercise of the power to grant consent.

9.  Registration and settlement

9.1  Settlement of transactions in the Placing Shares ( ISIN: GI000A0F6407 ) following Admission will take place within the relevant system administered by Euroclear ("CREST"), using the delivery versus payment mechanism, subject to certain exceptions. Subject to certain exceptions, the Bookrunners and the Company reserve the right to require settlement for, and delivery of, the Placing Shares to Placees by such other means that they deem necessary if delivery or settlement is not practicable in CREST within the timetable set out in this Announcement or would not be consistent with the regulatory requirements in the Placee's jurisdiction.

9.2  Following the close of the Bookbuild for the Placing, each Placee to be allocated Placing Shares in the Placing will be sent a trade confirmation or contract note in accordance with the standing arrangements in place with the relevant Bookrunner stating the number of Placing Shares allocated to them at the Placing Price, the aggregate amount owed by such Placee to the Bookrunners and settlement instructions.

9.3  Each Placee shall be required to execute an Investor Representation Letter, to be circulated to each prospective Placee by the relevant Bookrunner during the Bookbuild. The allocation and delivery of the Placing Shares to each Placee shall be conditional on receipt by the relevant Bookrunner of an Investor Representation Letter, duly executed by such Placee.

9.4  Each Placee agrees that it will do all things necessary to ensure that delivery and payment is completed in accordance with either the standing CREST or certificated settlement instructions that it has in place with the relevant Bookrunner.

9.5  The Company will deliver the Placing Shares to a CREST account operated by J.P. Morgan as agent for the Company and J.P. Morgan will enter its delivery (DEL) instruction into the CREST system. J.P. Morgan will hold any Placing Shares delivered to this account as nominee for the Placees. The input to CREST by a Placee of a matching or acceptance instruction will then allow delivery of the relevant Placing Shares to that Placee against payment.

9.6  It is expected that settlement will be on 11 April 2022 on a T+2 basis in accordance with the instructions given to the Bookrunners.

9.7  Interest is chargeable daily on payments not received from Placees on the due date in accordance with the arrangements set out above at the rate of two percentage points above LIBOR as determined by the Bookrunners.

9.8  Each Placee agrees that, if it does not comply with these obligations, the Bookrunners may sell any or all of the Placing Shares allocated to that Placee on such Placee's behalf and retain from the proceeds, for the Company's account and benefit, an amount equal to the aggregate amount owed by the Placee plus any interest due. The relevant Placee will, however, remain liable for any shortfall below the aggregate amount owed by it and shall be required to bear any stamp duty, stamp duty reserve tax or other stamp, securities, transfer, registration, execution, documentary or other similar impost, duty or tax (together with any interest or penalties) which may arise upon the sale of such Placing Shares on such Placee's behalf.

9.9  If Placing Shares are to be delivered to a custodian or settlement agent, Placees should ensure that the trade confirmation or contract note is copied and delivered immediately to the relevant person within that organisation. Insofar as Placing Shares are registered in a Placee's name or that of its nominee or in the name of any person for whom a Placee is contracting as agent or that of a nominee for such person, such Placing Shares should, subject to as provided below, be so registered free from any liability to UK stamp duty or UK stamp duty reserve tax. If there are any circumstances in which any stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax (and/or any interest, fines or penalties relating thereto) is payable in respect of the allocation, allotment, issue or delivery of the Placing Shares (or for the avoidance of doubt if any stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax is payable in connection with any subsequent transfer of or agreement to transfer Placing Shares), neither the Bookrunners nor the Company shall be responsible for the payment thereof.

10.  Representations and warranties

10.1  By submitting a bid and/or participating in the Placing each prospective Placee (and any person acting on such Placee's behalf) irrevocably acknowledges, confirms, undertakes, represents, warrants and agrees (as the case may be) with J.P. Morgan and Morgan Stanley (in their capacity as joint global coordinators) together with Barclays and Mediobanca (in their capacity as joint bookrunners and as placing agents of the Company in respect of the Placing) and the Company, in each case as a fundamental term of its application for Placing Shares, the following:

(a)  that it has read and understood this Announcement, including this Appendix, in its entirety and that its subscription for and purchase of Placing Shares is subject to and based upon all the terms, conditions, representations, warranties, indemnities, acknowledgements, agreements and undertakings and other information contained herein, the Acquisition Announcement and any Exchange Information previously published by or on behalf of the Company simultaneously with or prior to the date of this Announcement, and undertakes not to redistribute or duplicate this Announcement and that it has not relied on, and will not rely on, any information given or any representations, warranties or statements made at any time by any person in connection with Admission, the Bookbuild, the Placing, the Company, the Placing Shares or otherwise;

(b)  that no offering document or prospectus or admission document has been or will be prepared in connection with the Placing or is required under the EU Prospectus Regulation or UK Prospectus Regulation and it has not received and will not receive a prospectus, admission document or other offering document in connection with the Bookbuild, the Placing or the Placing Shares;

(c)  that the Placing Shares are of the same class as securities admitted to the Official List of the Financial Conduct Authority ("FCA") and admitted to trading on the London Stock Exchange's main market for listed securities (together referred to herein as being "Listed", and "Listing" shall have a correlative meaning) and that the Company is therefore required to publish certain information in accordance with the Listing Rules and the Prospectus Rules of the FCA, Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 on market abuse, as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal Act) 2018, and the Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules of the FCA as a result of such Listing (the "Exchange Information"), and that it is able to obtain or access the Exchange Information without undue difficulty;

(d)  that the Company has prepared and will issue or has issued the Acquisition Announcement, which includes information based on management estimates and assumptions, unaudited historical financial information on the Target, unaudited alternative performance measures on the Target, and pro forma financial information reflecting the Acquisition, which information is subject to change and finalisation and has not been reported on by any accountants or other third parties;

(e)  that the Acquisition constitutes a class 1 transaction and a reverse takeover under the Listing Rules of the FCA and the Company intends to publish in the coming weeks the Prospectus, which will include additional disclosure in relation to the Target, including, without limitation, audited historical financial information on the Target, alternative performance measures on the Target, and pro forma financial information reflecting the Acquisition, which may be different from and which will update, supplement and/or supersede the publicly available information taken together with the information contained in this Announcement, and any Exchange Information previously published by or on behalf of the Company;

(f)  that the Exchange Information and any other information with which it may have been or will be furnished by or on behalf of the Company in connection with the Placing and/or the Acquisition was, or will be, prepared and issued by and is the sole responsibility of the Company, was or will be furnished to it solely for informational purposes, and should not be considered as a recommendation by the Company or any other person to acquire Placing Shares;

(g)  that the Placing does not constitute a recommendation or financial product advice and the Bookrunners have not had regard to its particular objectives, financial situation and needs, and the Bookrunners are not responsible or liable for any information that has been or will be disclosed or made available by the Company, the Target or the Seller, or any misstatements or omissions from any such information, in relation to or in connection with the Company, the Target, the Placing and/or the Acquisition, other than to the extent that such liability cannot be excluded or limited as a matter of law;

(h)  unless otherwise specifically agreed with the Bookrunners, that they are not, and at the time the Placing Shares are acquired, neither it nor the beneficial owner of the Placing Shares will be, a resident of a Restricted Territory or any other jurisdiction in which it would be unlawful to make or accept an offer to acquire the Placing Shares, and further acknowledges that the Placing Shares have not been and will not be registered or otherwise qualified, for offer and sale nor will an offering document, prospectus or admission document be cleared or approved in respect of any of the Placing Shares under the securities legislation of the United States or any other Restricted Territory and, subject to certain exceptions, may not be offered, sold, transferred, delivered or distributed, directly or indirectly, in or into those jurisdictions or in any country or jurisdiction where any such action for that purpose is required;

(i)  that the Company anticipates using the proceeds raised through the Placing in order to reduce its leverage with respect to the Acquisition and is dependent upon certain conditions being satisfied and that none of the Company, the Bookrunners warrant or represent that the Acquisition will take place. The Placing is not conditional on the Acquisition and if the Acquisition does not complete the Company is under no obligation to return the proceeds to the investors;

(j)  that the content of the Announcements is exclusively the responsibility of the Company and that none of the Bookrunners or any of their respective Affiliates or Representatives nor any person acting on their behalf has or shall have any responsibility or liability for any information, representation or statement contained in the Announcements or any information previously or subsequently published by or on behalf of the Company, including, without limitation, any Exchange Information, and will not be liable for any Placee's decision to participate in the Placing based on any information, representation or statement contained in the Announcements or any information previously published by or on behalf of the Company or otherwise. Each Placee further represents, warrants and agrees that the only information on which it is entitled to rely and on which such Placee has relied in committing itself to acquire the Placing Shares is contained in the Announcements and any Exchange Information, such information being all that it deems necessary to make an investment decision in respect of the Placing Shares, and that it has neither received nor relied on any other information given or investigations, representations, warranties or statements made by the Bookrunners or the Company and none of the Bookrunners nor the Company will be liable for any Placee's decision to accept an invitation to participate in the Placing based on any other information, representation, warranty or statement. Each Placee further acknowledges and agrees that it has relied on its own investigation of the business, financial or other position of the Company in deciding to participate in the Placing and that none of the Bookrunners nor any of their respective Affiliates or Representatives have made any representations to it, express or implied, with respect to the Company, the Bookbuild, the Placing and the Placing Shares or the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the Exchange Information, and each of them expressly disclaims any liability in respect thereof. Nothing in this paragraph or otherwise in the Announcements excludes the liability of any person for fraudulent misrepresentation made by that person;

(k)  that it has not relied on any information relating to the Company contained in any research reports prepared by the Bookrunners, any of their respective Affiliates or Representatives or any person acting on the Bookrunners', or any of their respective Affiliates' or Representatives' behalf and understands that (i) none of the Bookrunners nor any of their respective Affiliates or Representatives nor any person acting on their behalf has or shall have any liability for public information or any representation; (ii) neither of the Bookrunners nor any of their respective Affiliates or Representatives nor any person acting on their behalf has or shall have any liability for any additional information that has otherwise been made available to such Placee, whether at the date of publication, the date of this document or otherwise; and that (iii) neither of the Bookrunners nor any of their respective Affiliates or Representatives nor any person acting on their behalf makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the truth, accuracy or completeness of such information, whether at the date of publication, the date of this Announcement or otherwise;

(l)  that no action has been or will be taken by the Company, the Bookrunners or any person acting on behalf of the Company or the Bookrunners that would, or is intended to, permit a public offer of the Placing Shares in any country or jurisdiction where any such action for that purpose is required;

(m)  that it and any person acting on its behalf is entitled to acquire the Placing Shares under the laws of all relevant jurisdictions which apply to it and that it has fully observed such laws and obtained all such governmental and other guarantees, permits, authorisations, approvals and consents which may be required thereunder and complied with all necessary formalities and that it has not taken any action or omitted to take any action which will or may result in the Bookrunners, the Company or any of their respective Affiliates or Representatives acting in breach of the legal or regulatory requirements of any jurisdiction in connection with the Placing;

(n)  that it (and any person acting on its behalf) has all necessary capacity and has obtained all necessary consents and authorities to enable it to commit to its participation in the Placing and to perform its obligations in relation thereto (including, without limitation, in the case of any person on whose behalf it is acting, all necessary consents and authorities to agree to the terms set out or referred to in this Announcement) and will honour such obligations;

(o)  that it has complied with its obligations under the Criminal Justice Act 1993, UK MAR, any delegating acts, implementing acts, technical standards and guidelines thereunder, and in connection with money laundering and terrorist financing under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (as amended), the Terrorism Act 2000, the Anti‑Terrorism Crime and Security Act 2001, the Terrorism Act 2006, the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017 and the Money Laundering Sourcebook of the FCA and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines issued, administered or enforced by any government agency having jurisdiction in respect thereof (the "Regulations") and, if making payment on behalf of a third party, that satisfactory evidence has been obtained and recorded by it to verify the identity of the third party as required by the Regulations. If within a reasonable time after a request for verification of identity, the Bookrunners have not received such satisfactory evidence, the Bookrunners may, in their absolute discretion, terminate the Placee's Placing participation in which event all funds delivered by the Placee to the Bookrunners will be returned without interest to the account of the drawee bank or CREST account from which they were originally debited;

(p)  that it is acting as principal only in respect of the Placing or, if it is acting for any other person: (i) it is duly authorised to do so and has full power to make, and does make, the acknowledgments, representations and agreements herein on behalf of each such person; and (ii) it is and will remain liable to the Bookrunners and the Company for the performance of all its obligations as a Placee in respect of the Placing (regardless of the fact that it is acting for another person);

(q)  if in a Member State of the EEA and except as disclosed in this Announcement under "Details of the Placing", that it is a "Qualified Investor" within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the EU Prospectus Regulation;

(r)  if in the United Kingdom, that it is a Qualified Investor within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the UK Prospectus Regulation: (i) who falls within the definition of "investment professional" in Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the "Order") or (ii) who falls within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) ("High Net Worth Companies, Unincorporated Associations, etc") of the Order or (iii) to whom this Announcement may otherwise lawfully be communicated and it undertakes that it will acquire, hold, manage and (if applicable) dispose of any Placing Shares that are allocated to it for the purposes of its business only;

(s)  if in the United Kingdom, unless otherwise agreed by the Bookrunners, it is a "professional client" or an "eligible counterparty" within the meaning of Chapter 3 of the FCA's Conduct of Business Sourcebook and it is purchasing Placing Shares for investment only and not with a view to resale or distribution;

(t)  if it is resident in Canada:

i.  it understands that the offering of the Placing Shares is being made on a private placement basis only in the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec (the "Canadian Private Placement Provinces") on a basis exempt from the requirement that the Company prepare and file a prospectus with the relevant securities regulatory authorities in Canada and as such, any resale of the Placing Shares must be made in accordance with an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the prospectus requirements of applicable securities laws;

ii.  it is resident in one of the Canadian Private Placement Provinces;

iii.  it is purchasing the Placing Shares as principal, or is deemed to be purchasing as principal in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws, for investment only and not with a view to resale or redistribution;

iv.  it is not an individual;

v.  it is an "accredited investor" as such term is defined in section 1.1 of NI 45-106 or, in Ontario, as such term is defined in section 73.3(1) of the Securities Act (Ontario), as applicable;

vi.  it is a "permitted client" as such term is defined in section 1.1 of NI 31-103;

vii.  it understand that any resale of the Placing Shares acquired by it in the Placing must be made in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws, which may vary depending on the relevant jurisdiction, and which may require resales to be made in accordance with Canadian prospectus requirements, a statutory exemption from the prospectus requirements, in a transaction exempt from the prospectus requirements or otherwise under a discretionary exemption from the prospectus requirements granted by the applicable local Canadian securities regulatory authority and that these resale restrictions may under certain circumstances apply to resales of the Placing Shares outside of Canada; and

viii.  no person has made any written or oral representations to such Placee (i) that any person will resell or repurchase the Instruments, (ii) that any person will refund the purchase price of the Placing Shares, or (iii) as to the future price or value of the Placing Shares;

(u)  if it is in Australia, it is (i) a "sophisticated investor" within the meaning of section 708(8) of the Corporations Act or a "professional investor" within the meaning of section 708(11) of the Corporations Act and a wholesale client under section 761G(7) of the Corporations Act and the issue of the Placing Shares to it under the Placing does not require a prospectus or other form of disclosure document under the Corporations Act, and no Placing Shares may be offered for sale (or transferred, assigned or otherwise alienated) to investors in Australia for at least 12 months after their issue, except in circumstances where disclosure to investors is not required under Part 6D.2 of the Corporations Act;

(v)  that it will not distribute, transfer or otherwise transmit this Announcement or any part of it, or any other presentation or other materials concerning the Placing, in or into the United States or any other Restricted Territory (including electronic copies thereof) to any person, and it has not distributed, forwarded, transferred or otherwise transmitted any such materials to any person;

(w)  where it is acquiring the Placing Shares for one or more managed accounts, it represents, warrants and undertakes that it is authorised in writing by each managed account to acquire the Placing Shares for each managed account and it has full power to make the acknowledgements, representations and agreements herein on behalf of each such account;

(x)  that if it is a pension fund or investment company, it represents, warrants and undertakes that its acquisition of Placing Shares is in full compliance with applicable laws and regulations;

(y)  if it is acting as a financial intermediary, as that term is used in Article 5(l) of the EU Prospectus Regulation and Article 5(l) of the UK Prospectus Regulation, that the Placing Shares acquired for by it in the Placing will not be acquired for on a non‑discretionary basis on behalf of, nor will they be acquired for with a view to their offer or resale to, persons in a member state of the EEA other than Qualified Investors or persons in the United Kingdom other than Relevant Persons, or in circumstances in which the prior consent of the Bookrunners has been given to the proposed offer or resale;

(z)  that it has not offered or sold, and will not offer or sell, any Placing Shares to persons in the United Kingdom, except to Relevant Persons or otherwise in circumstances which have not resulted and which will not result in an offer to the public in the United Kingdom within the meaning of section 85(1) of FSMA;

(aa)  that any offer of Placing Shares may only be directed at persons in member states of the EEA who are Qualified Investors and represents, warrants and undertakes that it has not offered or sold and will not offer or sell any Placing Shares to persons in the EEA prior to Admission except to Qualified Investors or otherwise in circumstances which have not resulted in and which will not result in an offer to the public in any member state of the EEA within the meaning of the EU Prospectus Regulation;

(bb)  that it has only communicated or caused to be communicated and will only communicate or cause to be communicated any invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of section 21 of the FSMA) relating to the Placing Shares in circumstances in which section 21(1) of the FSMA does not require approval of the communication by an authorised person;

(cc)  that it has complied and will comply with all applicable laws (including all relevant provisions of the FSMA) with respect to anything done by it in relation to the Placing Shares in respect of anything done in, from or otherwise involving, the United Kingdom;

(dd)  if it has received any inside information about the Company in advance of the Placing, it has not: (i) dealt in the securities of the Company; (ii) encouraged or required another person to deal in the securities of the Company; or (iii) disclosed such information to any person except as permitted by the UK MAR, prior to the information being made publicly available;

(ee)  that (i) it (and any person acting on its behalf) has capacity and authority and is otherwise entitled to purchase the Placing Shares under the laws of all relevant jurisdictions which apply to it; (ii) it has paid any issue, transfer or other taxes due in connection with its participation in any territory; (iii) it has not taken any action which will or may result in the Company, the Bookrunners, any of their Affiliates or Representatives or any person acting on their behalf being in breach of the legal and/or regulatory requirements and/or any anti‑money laundering requirements of any territory in connection with the Placing; and (iv) that the subscription for and purchase of the Placing Shares by it or any person acting on its behalf will be in compliance with applicable laws and regulations in the jurisdiction of its residence, the residence of the Company, or otherwise;

(ff)  that it (and any person acting on its behalf) will make payment for the Placing Shares allocated to it in accordance with this Announcement on the due time and date set out herein against delivery of such Placing Shares to it, failing which the relevant Placing Shares may be placed with other Placees or sold as the Bookrunners may in their absolute discretion determine and without liability to such Placee. It will, however, remain liable for any shortfall below the net proceeds of such sale and the placing proceeds of such Placing Shares and may be required to bear any stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax (together with any interest or penalties) due pursuant to the terms set out or referred to in this Announcement which may arise upon the sale of such Placee's Placing Shares on its behalf;

(gg)  that its allocation (if any) of Placing Shares will represent a maximum number of Placing Shares to which it will be entitled, and required, to acquire, and that the Bookrunners or the Company may call upon it to acquire a lower number of Placing Shares (if any), but in no event in aggregate more than the aforementioned maximum;

(hh)  that none of the Bookrunners nor any of their respective Affiliates or Representatives nor any person acting on their behalf, is making any recommendations to it, or advising it regarding the suitability or merits of any transactions it may enter into in connection with the Placing and that participation in the Placing is on the basis that it is not and will not be a client of the Bookrunners and that the Bookrunners do not have any duties or responsibilities to it for providing the protections afforded to their respective clients or customers or for providing advice in relation to the Placing nor in respect of any representations, warranties, undertakings or indemnities contained in the Placing Agreement nor for the exercise or performance of any of the Bookrunners' rights and obligations thereunder including any rights to waive or vary any conditions or exercise any termination right;

(ii)  that the person whom it specifies for registration as holder of the Placing Shares will be (i) itself or (ii) its nominee, as the case may be. Neither the Bookrunners nor the Company nor any of their respective Affiliates or Representatives will be responsible for any liability to stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax or other similar duties or taxes (together with any interest or penalties) resulting from a failure to observe this requirement. Each Placee and any person acting on behalf of such Placee agrees to indemnify each of the Bookrunners, the Company and any of their respective Affiliates or Representatives in respect of the same on an after‑tax basis on the basis that the Placing Shares will be allotted to the CREST stock account of J.P. Morgan who will hold them as nominee on behalf of such Placee until settlement in accordance with its standing settlement instructions;

(jj)  that these terms and conditions and any agreements entered into by it pursuant to these terms and conditions, and any non‑contractual obligations arising out of or in connection with such agreements, shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales and it subjects (on behalf of itself and on behalf of any person on whose behalf it is acting) to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts as regards any claim, dispute or matter arising out of any such contract, except that enforcement proceedings in respect of the obligation to make payment for the Placing Shares (together with any interest chargeable thereon) may be taken by the Bookrunners or the Company in any jurisdiction in which the relevant Placee is incorporated or in which any of its securities have a quotation on a recognised stock exchange;

(kk)  that each of the Bookrunners, the Company and their respective Affiliates or Representatives and others will rely upon the truth and accuracy of the representations, warranties, agreements, undertakings and acknowledgements set forth herein and which are given to each of the Bookrunners on their own behalf and on behalf of the Company and are irrevocable and it irrevocably authorises each of the Bookrunners and the Company to produce this Announcement, pursuant to, in connection with, or as may be required by any applicable law or regulation, administrative or legal proceeding or official inquiry with respect to the matters set forth herein;

(ll)  that it will indemnify on an after‑tax basis and hold each of the Bookrunners, the Company and their respective Affiliates or Representatives and any person acting on their behalf harmless from any and all costs, claims, liabilities and expenses (including legal fees and expenses) arising out of, directly or indirectly, or in connection with any breach by it of the representations, warranties, acknowledgements, agreements and undertakings in this Appendix and further agrees that the provisions of this Appendix shall survive after completion of the Placing;

(mm)  that it irrevocably appoints any director of the Bookrunners as its agent for the purposes of executing and delivering to the Company and/or its registrars any documents on its behalf necessary to enable it to be registered as the holder of any of the Placing Shares agreed to be taken up by it under the Placing;

(nn)  a communication that the transaction or the book is "covered" (i.e. indicated demand from investors in the book equals or exceeds the amount of the securities being offered) is not any indication or assurance that the book will remain covered or that the transaction and securities will be fully distributed by the Bookrunners;

(oo)  that its commitment to acquire Placing Shares on the terms set out herein and in the trade confirmation or contract note will continue notwithstanding any amendment that may in future be made to the terms and conditions of the Placing and that Placees will have no right to be consulted or require that their consent be obtained with respect to the Company's or the Bookrunners conduct of the Placing;

(pp)  that in making any decision to acquire the Placing Shares (i) it has sufficient knowledge, sophistication and experience in financial, business and international investment matters as is required to evaluate the merits and risks of subscribing for or purchasing the Placing Shares, (ii) it is experienced in investing in securities of this nature in this sector and is aware that it may be required to bear, and is able to bear, the economic risk of participating in, and is able to sustain a complete loss in connection with, the Placing, (iii) it has relied on its own examination, due diligence and analysis of the Company and its Affiliates taken as a whole, including the markets in which the Group operates, and the terms of the Placing, including the merits and risks involved and not upon any view expressed or information provided by or on behalf of the Bookrunners, (iv) it has had sufficient time and access to information to consider and conduct its own investigation with respect to the offer and purchase of the Placing Shares, including the legal, regulatory, tax, business, currency and other economic and financial considerations relevant to such investment and has so conducted its own investigation to the extent it deems necessary for the purposes of its investigation, and (v) it will not look to the Company, the Bookrunners, any of their respective Affiliates or Representatives or any person acting on their behalf for all or part of any such loss or losses it or they may suffer;

(qq)  that none of the Bookrunners nor the Company owe any fiduciary or other duties to it or any Placee in respect of any representations, warranties, undertakings or indemnities in the Placing Agreement;

(rr)  that it may not rely on any investigation that the Bookrunners or any person acting on their behalf may or may not have conducted with respect to the Company and its Affiliates or the Placing and the Bookrunners have not made any representation or warranty to it, express or implied, with respect to the merits of the Placing, the subscription for or purchase of the Placing Shares, or as to the condition, financial or otherwise, of the Company and its Affiliates, or as to any other matter relating thereto, and nothing herein shall be construed as any investment or other recommendation to it to acquire the Placing Shares. It acknowledges and agrees that no information has been prepared by, or is the responsibility of, the Bookrunners for the purposes of this Placing;

(ss)  that it will not hold any of the Bookrunners or any of their respective Affiliates or Representatives or any person acting on their behalf responsible or liable for any misstatements in or omission from any publicly available information relating to the Group or information made available (whether in written or oral form) relating to the Group and that none of the Bookrunners nor any person acting on behalf of the Bookrunners makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the truth, accuracy or completeness of such Information or accepts any responsibility for any of such Information;

(tt)  that in connection with the Placing, the Bookrunners and any of their respective Affiliates acting as an investor for its own account may take up shares in the Company and in that capacity may retain, purchase or sell for its own account such shares in the Company and any securities of the Company or related investments and may offer or sell such securities or other investments otherwise than in connection with the Placing. Accordingly, references in this Announcement to shares being issued, offered or placed should be read as including any issue, offering or placement of such shares in the Company to the Bookrunners and any of their respective Affiliates acting in such capacity. In addition, the Bookrunners may enter into financing arrangements and swaps with investors in connection with which the Bookrunners may from time to time acquire, hold or dispose of such securities of the Company, including the Placing Shares. None of the Bookrunners nor any of their respective Affiliates intend to disclose the extent of any such investment or transactions otherwise than in accordance with any legal or regulatory obligation to do so;

(uu)  that (i) the Placing Shares have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act or under the securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States, nor approved or disapproved by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, any state securities commission in the United States or any other United States regulatory authority and may not be offered, sold or transferred, directly or indirectly, within the United States except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and in compliance with any applicable securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States; (ii) subject to certain exceptions the Placing Shares are being offered and sold outside the United States in reliance on Regulation S; and (iii) the Placing Shares may not be reoffered, resold, pledged or otherwise transferred except in transactions exempt from, or not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act;

(vv)  that, subject to certain exceptions, (i) each of it and each beneficial owner of the Placing Shares for whom it is acting is and at the time the Placing Shares are acquired will be, (x) located outside the United States and is and will be acquiring the Placing Shares in an "offshore transaction" as defined in, and in accordance with, Regulation S or (y)   a QIB, (ii) it will not offer or sell, directly or indirectly, any of the Placing Shares except in an "offshore transaction" in accordance with Regulation S or in the United States pursuant to an available exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act, (iii) no representation has been made or will be made as to the availability of any exemption under the Securities Act or any relevant state or other jurisdiction's securities laws for the re-offer, resale, pledge or transfer of the Placing Shares;

(ww)  that it is not acquiring any of the Placing Shares as a result of any form of general solicitation or general advertising (within the meaning of Rule 502(c) of Regulation D under the Securities Act) or any form of directed selling efforts (as defined in Regulation S); and

(xx)  the Placing Shares offered and sold in the United States are "restricted securities" within the meaning of Rule 144(a)(3) under the Securities Act and for so long as the Placing Shares are restricted securities, it will segregate such Placing Shares from any other shares in the Company that it holds that are not restricted securities, will not deposit the Placing Shares into any depositary receipt facility maintained by any depositary bank in respect of the Company's ordinary shares and will notify any subsequent transferee of such Placing Shares of the applicable transfer restrictions.

10.2  The foregoing acknowledgements, agreements, undertakings, representations, warranties and confirmations are given for the benefit of the Company as well as any of the Bookrunners (for their own benefit and, where relevant, the benefit of their respective Affiliates and Representatives and any person acting on their behalf) and are irrevocable. Each Placee, and any person acting on behalf of a Placee, acknowledges that none of the Bookrunners nor the Company owe any fiduciary or other duties to any Placee in respect of any representations, warranties, undertakings or indemnities in the Placing Agreement.

10.3  Neither the Bookrunners, the Company nor any of their respective Affiliates or Representatives are liable to bear any stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax or any other similar duties or taxes ("transfer taxes") that arise (i) on a sale of Placing Shares, or (ii) for transfer taxes arising otherwise than under the laws of the United Kingdom. Each Placee to whom (or on behalf of whom, or in respect of the person for whom it is participating in the Placing as an agent or nominee) the allocation, allotment, issue or delivery of Placing Shares has given rise to such transfer taxes undertakes to pay such transfer taxes forthwith, and agrees to indemnify on an after‑tax basis and hold the Bookrunners and/or the Company and their respective Affiliates and Representatives harmless from any such transfer taxes, and all interest, fines or penalties in relation to such transfer taxes.  Each Placee should, therefore, take its own advice as to whether any such transfer tax liability arises.

10.4  Each Placee and any person acting on behalf of each Placee acknowledges and agrees that any of the Bookrunners or any of their respective Affiliates may, at their absolute discretion, agree to become a Placee in respect of some or all of the Placing Shares. Each Placee acknowledges and is aware that the Bookrunners are receiving a fee in connection with their role in respect of the Placing as detailed in the Placing Agreement.

10.5  When a Placee or person acting on behalf of the Placee is dealing with the Bookrunners, any money held in an account with any of the Bookrunners on behalf of the Placee and/or any person acting on behalf of the Placee will not be treated as client money within the meaning of the rules and regulations of the FCA made under the FSMA. The Placee acknowledges that the money will not be subject to the protections conferred by the client money rules; as a consequence, this money will not be segregated from the Bookrunners money in accordance with the client money rules and will be used by the Bookrunners in the course of its own business; and the Placee will rank only as a general creditor of the Bookrunners.

10.6  All times and dates in this Announcement may be subject to amendment by the Bookrunners (in its absolute discretion). The Bookrunners shall notify the Placees and any person acting on behalf of the Placees of any changes.

10.7  Past performance is no guide to future performance and persons needing advice should consult an independent financial adviser.

10.8  The rights and remedies of the Bookrunners and the Company under these terms and conditions are in addition to any rights and remedies which would otherwise be available to each of them and the exercise or partial exercise of one will not prevent the exercise of others.

10.9  Each Placee may be asked to disclose in writing or orally to the Bookrunners:

(a)  if he or she is an individual, his or her nationality; or

(b)  if he or she is a discretionary fund manager, the jurisdiction in which the funds are managed or owned.

Appendix II: Definitions

The following definitions apply throughout this Announcement unless the context otherwise requires:

"Acquisition" has the meaning given to it in paragraph 7.3 of Appendix 1 to this Announcement;

"AcquisitionAgreement" means the conditional agreement dated 9 September 2021, as amended on 7April 2022, between, amongst others, the Company and William Hill, pursuant to which the Company will acquire all of the share capital of William Hill.

"Acquisition of William Hill Update Announcement" means the update on the acquisition of the international (non-US) business of William Hill which includes details of revised transaction terms and an update on the financing of the Acquisition ;

"Admission" means admission of the Placing Shares to the premium listing segment of the Official List and to trading on the London Stock Exchange's main market for listed securities;

"Affiliate" has the meaning given in Rule 501(b) of Regulation D under the Securities Act or Rule 405 under the Securities Act, as applicable and, in the case of the Company, includes its subsidiary undertakings;

"Announcement" means this announcement (including its Appendices);

"Announcements" means this announcement (including its Appendices), together with the Acquisition of William Hill Update Announcement;

"Barclays" means Barclays Bank PLC;

"Bookbuild" means the bookbuilding process to be commenced by the Bookrunners to use reasonable endeavours to procure placees for the Placing Shares, as described in this Announcement and subject to the terms and conditions set out in this Announcement and the Placing Agreement;

"Bookrunners" means J.P. Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Barclays and Mediobanca each a "Bookrunner";

"Canadian Private Placement Provinces" has the meaning given to it in 10.1(v)(i) of Appendix 1 to this Announcement;

"Closing Date" means the day on which the transactions effected in connection with the Placing will be settled;

"COBS" means the FCA Handbook Conduct of Business Sourcebook;

"Company" means 888 Holdings Plc;

"CREST" means the relevant system (as defined in the Uncertificated Securities Regulations 2001 (SI 2001 No. 3755)) in respect of which Euroclear is the Operator (as defined in such Regulations) in accordance with which securities may be held and transferred in uncertificated form;

"DTRs" means the Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules made by the FCA pursuant to Part VI of FSMA;

"EEA" means the European Economic Area;

"EU MAR" means the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) No.596/2014;

"EU Prospectus Regulation" means the Prospectus Regulation (EU) 2017/1129;

"Euroclear" means Euroclear UK & International, a company incorporated under the laws of England and Wales;

"Exchange Information" has the meaning given to it in paragraph 10.1(c) of Appendix 1 to this Announcement;

"FCA or Financial Conduct Authority" means the UK Financial Conduct Authority;

"FSMA" means the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended);

"Group" means the Company and its subsidiary undertakings;

"Investor Presentation" means the presentation prepared by (or on behalf of) the Company for use during the course of presentations to investors in connection with the Acquisition and the Placing;

"Investor Representation Letter" means the letter in the form set out in the Placing Agreement;

"Joint Global Coordinators" means J.P. Morgan and Morgan Stanley;

"J.P. Morgan" means J.P. Morgan Securities plc;

"Listing Rules" means the rules and regulations made by the FCA under FSMA;

"LSE or London Stock Exchange" means London Stock Exchange plc;

"Material Adverse Effect" means a material adverse effect or change in, or any development reasonably likely to result in a material adverse change in or affecting, the condition (financial, operational, legal or otherwise) or in the earnings, management, results of operations, business affairs or business prospects of the Group taken as a whole, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business and whether or not foreseeable at the date of this Announcement;

"Mediobanca" means Mediobanca Banca di Credito Finanziario S.p.A.;

"Morgan Stanley" means Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc;

"Ordinary Share" means an ordinary share of one penny each in the capital of the Company;

"Placee" means any person (including individuals, funds or otherwise) by whom or on whose behalf a commitment to acquire Placing Shares has been given;

"Placing" has the meaning given in paragraph 1 of this Announcement;

"Placing Agreement" means the placing agreement between the Company and the Bookrunners ;

"Placing Information" has the meaning given to it in paragraph 10.1(d) of Appendix 1 to this Announcement;

"Placing Price" means the price per Ordinary Share at which the Placing Shares are placed;

"Placing Shares" has the meaning given in paragraph 1 of this Announcement;

"Placing Terms" has the meaning given to it in paragraph 2.1 of Appendix 1 to this Announcement;

"PRA or Prudential Regulation Authority" means the UK Prudential Regulation Authority;

"Pricing Announcement" means the announcement published by the Company confirming the results of the Placing on a Regulatory Information Service immediately following the execution of the Placing Terms;

"Regulations" has the meaning given to it in paragraph 10.1(q) of Appendix 1 to this Announcement;

"Regulation S" means Regulation S promulgated under the Securities Act;

"Regulatory Information Service" means any of the services set out in Appendix 3 of the Listing Rules;

"Relevant Person" has the meaning given to it in this Announcement, "Relevant Persons" shall be construed accordingly;

"Representatives" means, in respect of a person, that person's agents, directors, officers or employees;

"Restricted Territory" means the United States, Australia, Canada, the Republic of South Africa or Japan;

"Securities Act" means the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended;

"Seller" has the meaning given to it in paragraph 7.3 of Appendix 1 of this Announcement;

"subsidiary" has the meaning given to that term in the Companies Act 2006;

"subsidiary undertaking has the meaning given to that term in the Companies Act 2006;

"UK MAR" means the UK version of the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) No.596/2014, which forms part of UK law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018;

"UK Product Governance Rules" means the product governance requirements contained within the FCA Handbook Product Intervention and Product Governance Sourcebook;

"UK Prospectus Regulation" means the UK version of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 as it forms part of UK law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018;

"uncertificated or in uncertificated form" means in respect of a share or other security, where that share or other security is recorded on the relevant register of the share or security concerned as being held in uncertificated form in CREST and title to which may be transferred by means of CREST;

"United Kingdom or UK" means the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland;

"United States or US" means the United States of America, its territories and possessions, any state of the United States of America, the District of Columbia and all other areas subject to its jurisdiction and any political sub‑division thereof; and

"William Hill" means the international non-US business of the William Hill Group.

Unless otherwise indicated in this Announcement, all references to "£", "GBP", "pounds", ''pound sterling'', "sterling'', "p", "penny" or ''pence'' are to the lawful currency of the UK. All references to "US$", "$" or "dollars" are to the lawful currency of the United States of America.

 

END

 

 

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