Results of Placing

RNS Number : 2960O

Flutter Entertainment PLC

29 May 2020

 

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS RESTRICTED AND IS NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES, CANADA, AUSTRALIA, JAPAN, SOUTH AFRICA OR ANY OTHER STATE OR JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL. PLEASE SEE THE IMPORTANT NOTICE SECTION OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.

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

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION.

29 May 2020

Flutter Entertainment plc

("Flutter" or the "Company" or the "Group")

Result of Placing

Flutter announces the successful pricing of the non-pre-emptive placing of new ordinary shares of €0.09 each in the share capital of the Company (the "Ordinary Shares") announced yesterday (the "Placing").

A total of 8,045,995 new Ordinary Shares in the Company (the "Placing Shares") have been placed by Goldman Sachs International and J&E Davy ("Davy") at a price of 10,100 pence per Placing Share (the "Placing Price"), raising gross proceeds of £812,645,495. The Euro Placing Price, for those participants in the Placing who have elected to settle in Euros, is €112.42.  Goldman Sachs International and Davy (together, the "Bookrunners") are acting as joint global coordinators and joint bookrunners in connection with the Placing.

The Placing Shares represent approximately 5.5% of the Company's issued share capital immediately prior to the Placing (excluding treasury shares).  The Placing Price represents a discount of approximately 4.7% to the closing price on 28 May 2020.

The Placing Shares will, when issued, be credited as fully paid and will rank pari passu in all respects with the existing Ordinary Shares (other than treasury shares which are non-voting and do not qualify for dividends), including the right to receive all dividends and other distributions declared, made or paid in respect of Ordinary Shares after the date of issue.

Flutter consulted with a number of its major shareholders prior to the Placing and has respected the principles of pre-emption through the allocation process insofar as possible. The Company is pleased by the strong support it has received from new and existing shareholders.

Applications have been made for the admission of the Placing Shares to (a) the premium listing segment of the Official List of the Financial Conduct Authority of the United Kingdom (the "FCA") and to trading on the London Stock Exchange plc's (the "London Stock Exchange") main market for listed securities and (b) to a secondary listing on the Official List of The Irish Stock Exchange plc, trading as Euronext Dublin ("Euronext Dublin") and to trading on the Euronext Dublin Market operated by Euronext Dublin (together, "Admission").

It is expected that settlement of the Placing Shares will occur, Admission will become effective and that dealings will commence in the Placing Shares at 8.00 a.m. on 2 June 2020. The Placing is conditional, among other things, upon Admission becoming effective and the placing agreement between the Company, Goldman Sachs International and Davy not being terminated in accordance with its terms.

Following Admission, the total number of shares in issue in the Company will be 156,302,420 (including 1,965,600 treasury shares). Therefore, following Admission, the total number of voting shares in Flutter in issue will be 154,336,820. This figure may be used by shareholders as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in the Company under the Transparency (Directive 2004/109/EC) Regulations 2007 of Ireland and the Irish Transparency Rules.

This Announcement should be read in its entirety. In particular, you should read and understand the information provided in the "Important Notice" section of this Announcement.

The person responsible for arranging release of this Announcement on behalf of Flutter is Edward Traynor, Company Secretary of Flutter.

For further information on this Announcement, please contact:

Flutter Entertainment plc Jonathan Hill, Chief Financial Officer David Jennings, Corporate Finance & Investor Relations Ciara O'Mullane, Investor Relations Liam Kealy, Investor Relations	+ 353 87 951 3560 + 353 87 947 7862 + 353 87 665 2014
Press: Fi Thorne, Corporate Affairs	+ 44 75 2111 4787

Davy (Joint Global Co-ordinator and Joint Corporate Broker)	[phone]
John Lydon Brian Garrahy Tom Tynan

Goldman Sachs International (Joint Global Co-ordinator and Corporate Broker)	[phone]
Anthony Gutman Charlie Lytle Nick Harper Jimmy Bastock

Drury / Porter Novelli Billy Murphy

+ 353 1 260 5000

Finsbury (Media Enquiries) James Murgatroyd Robert Allen

[phone] [phone]

Important Notice

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 Goldman Sachs International or Davy or by any of their respective Affiliates or agents 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 interested party or its advisers, and any liability therefor is expressly disclaimed.

Goldman Sachs International, which is authorised by the UK Prudential Regulatory Authority and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority and the UK Prudential Regulatory Authority, is acting exclusively as joint global co-ordinator and joint bookrunner for the Company and for no one else in connection with the Placing is not, and will not be, responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to its clients or for providing advice in relation to the Placing or any other matters referred to in this Announcement.

J&E Davy, which is regulated in Ireland by the Central Bank of Ireland is acting exclusively as joint global co-ordinator and joint bookrunner for the Company and for no-one else in connection with the Placing and is not, and will not be, responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to its clients nor for providing advice in relation to the Placing and/or any other matter referred to in this Announcement.

Apart from the responsibilities and liabilities, if any, which may be imposed on the Bookrunners by the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 of the United Kingdom or by the regulatory regime established under it, neither Goldman Sachs International, Davy nor any of their respective Affiliates owes or accepts any duty, liability or responsibility whatsoever to any person who is not a client for the contents of the information contained in this Announcement or for any other statement made or purported to be made by or on behalf of the Bookrunners or their respective Affiliates in connection with the Company, the Placing Shares or the Placing. The Bookrunners and each of their respective Affiliates accordingly disclaim all and any liability, whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise (save as referred to above) in respect of any statements or other information contained in this Announcement and no representation or warranty, express or implied, is made by the Bookrunners or any of their respective Affiliates as to the accuracy, completeness or sufficiency of the information contained in this Announcement.

Members of the public are not eligible to take part in the Placing. This Announcement is directed only at and may only be communicated to: (A) persons in a Member State of the European Economic Area who are qualified investors ("Qualified Investors") within the meaning of Article 2(e) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 on the prospectus to be published when securities are offered to the public or admitted to trading on a regulated market; or (B) in the United Kingdom, Qualified Investors who are also (I) persons having professional experience in matters relating to investments who fall within the definition of "investment professional" in Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 of the United Kingdom, as amended (the "Order"), (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 be lawfully communicated (all such persons referred to in (A) and (B) above together being referred to as "Relevant Persons").

This Announcement must not be acted on or relied on by persons who are not Relevant Persons. 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 is for information purposes only and shall not constitute an offer to sell or issue or the solicitation of an offer to buy, subscribe for or otherwise acquire securities in any jurisdiction in which any such offer or solicitation would be unlawful. Any failure to comply with this restriction may constitute a violation of the securities laws of such jurisdictions. Persons needing advice should consult an independent financial adviser.  

This Announcement and the information contained herein is restricted and is not for release, publication or distribution, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, in, into or from the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, South Africa or any other state or jurisdiction in which the same would be restricted, unlawful or unauthorised (each a "Restricted Territory"). In addition, the offering of the Placing Shares in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. This Announcement is for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer to buy, sell, issue, acquire or subscribe for, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, sell, issue, acquire or subscribe for shares in the capital of the Company in any Restricted Territory or to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation. This Announcement is not a prospectus, disclosure document or offering document under the law of any jurisdiction. No prospectus, disclosure document or offering document has been lodged or registered under, or prepared in compliance with, the securities laws of any Restricted Territory. This Announcement does not constitute financial product advice and does not, and will not, form any part of any contract for the acquisition of the shares in the capital of the Company. No action has been taken by the Company or the Bookrunners that would permit an offering of such shares or possession or distribution of this Announcement or any other offering or publicity material relating to such shares in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required. Persons into whose possession this Announcement comes are required by the Company and the Bookrunners to inform themselves about, and to observe, such restrictions. Any failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities laws of such jurisdictions.

This Announcement is not for publication or distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States of America.  This Announcement is not an offer of securities for sale into the United States.  The securities referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States, except pursuant to an applicable exemption from registration.  No public offering of securities is being made in the United States.

Subject to certain exemptions, the securities referred to herein may not be offered or sold in any Restricted Territory or for the account or benefit of any national resident or citizen of any Restricted Territory. No public offering of the shares referred to in this Announcement is being made in Ireland, the United Kingdom, any Restricted Territory or elsewhere.

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 information 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.

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  the 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, Goldman Sachs International and Davy 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.

This Announcement contains (or may contain) certain forward-looking statements with respect to certain of the Company's current expectations and projections about future events and the Company's future financial condition and performance. These statements, which sometimes use words such as "aim", "anticipate", "believe", "may", "will", "should", "intend", "plan", "assume", "estimate", "expect" (or the negative thereof) and words of similar meaning, reflect the directors' current beliefs and expectations and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions, many of which are outside the Company's control and difficult to predict, that could cause actual results and performance to differ materially from any expected future results or performance expressed or implied by the forward-looking statement. Statements contained in this Announcement regarding past trends or activities should not be taken as a representation that such trends or activities will continue in the future. Many factors could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those projected or implied in any forward-looking statements. The important factors that could cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, among others, the macroeconomic environment (including, the impact of COVID-19), economic and business cycles, the terms and conditions of the Company's financing arrangements, foreign currency rate fluctuations, competition in the Company's principal markets, acquisitions or disposals of businesses or assets and trends in the Company's principal industries. Due to such uncertainties and risks, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the events described in the forward-looking statements in this Announcement may not occur. The information contained in this Announcement, including the forward-looking statements, speaks only as of the date of this Announcement and is subject to change without notice and the Company does not assume any responsibility or obligation to, and does not intend to, update or revise publicly or review any of the information contained herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by the FCA, the London Stock Exchange, Euronext Dublin, the Central Bank of Ireland or by applicable law. No statement in this Announcement is or is intended to be a profit forecast or profit estimate or to imply that the earnings of the Company for the current or future financial years will necessarily match or exceed the historical or published earnings of the Company.

Any indication in this Announcement of the price at which Ordinary Shares have been bought or sold in the past cannot be relied upon as a guide to future performance. The price of shares and the income from them may go down as well as up and investors may not get back the full amount invested on disposal of shares acquired. Past performance is no guide to future performance and persons needing advice should consult an independent financial adviser.

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 of the London Stock Exchange and the Euronext Dublin Market of Euronext Dublin.

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.

The most recent Annual Report and other information relating to the Company are available on the Flutter website at www.flutter.com. Neither the content of the Company's website nor any website accessible by hyperlinks on the Company's website is incorporated in, or forms part of, this Announcement.

 

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