Completion of Entain CEE's SuperSport acquisition

RNS Number : 2675H

Entain PLC

23 November 2022

 

23 November 2022

Entain plc

("Entain" or the "Group")

Completion of Entain CEE's acquisition of SuperSport

Entain plc (LSE: ENT), the global sports betting, gaming and interactive entertainment group, is pleased to announce that Entain CEE has completed the acquisition of the SuperSport Group ("SuperSport"), the leading gaming and sportsbook operator in Croatia.

On 11 August 2022, Entain announced (Link) it had partnered with EMMA Capital ("EMMA"), a leading investment firm operating in the Central and Eastern European ("CEE") region, to establish Entain CEE, a strategic platform to drive expansion in the highly attractive CEE market. 

SuperSport has a leading c50% ¹ share in the fully regulated Croatian market.  Its unrivalled brand and online focused sports betting, as well as iGaming offer is underpinned by its proprietary technology solution.

Entain CEE is a unique platform created to unlock the €5.0bn² regulated betting and gaming market opportunity across CEE .  Entain CEE is led by SuperSport's CEO, Radim Haluza, who has significant experience in this region.

Jette Nygaard-Anderson, Entain's CEO, commented : "We are very pleased to have completed the acquisition of SuperSport, which is the first by the newly created Entain CEE.  SuperSport expands our operations into the highly attractive and regulated Croatian market, as well as establishing Entain CEE as a strategic growth platform into the wider region.  We look forward to working with Radim and the SuperSport team alongside EMMA Capital as we execute on this exciting opportunity."

On 19 October 2022, Entain announced (Link) the successful issuance of a $1bn new term loan that will be partially used to finance the acquisition of SuperSport.  

Notes:
1) Estimated 2022 share by GGR

2) Market size estimates via local intelligence / internal sources - regulated markets only

Contact details

Entain plc

Investor Relations - Entain plc David Lloyd-Seed, Chief IR & Communications Officer Davina Hobbs, Head of Investor Relations Callum Sims, IR Manager	[e-mail] [e-mail] [e-mail] [e-mail]
Media - Entain plc Lisa Attenborough, Head of Corporate Communications Jay Dossetter, Head of Corporate PR Jodie Hitch, PR Manager	[e-mail] [e-mail] [e-mail] [e-mail]

Morgan Stanley (Sole Financial Adviser)     Tel: [phone]

Laurence Hopkins
Tom Perry
Richard Brown

Powerscourt Rob Greening/Nick Hayns/Sam Austrums

Tel: [phone] entain@powersco urt-group.com

About Entain plc

Entain plc (LSE: ENT) is a FTSE100 company and is one of the world's largest sports-betting and gaming groups, operating both online and in the retail sector. The Group owns a comprehensive portfolio of established brands; Sports brands include bwin, Coral, Crystalbet, Eurobet, Ladbrokes, Neds, Sportingbet and Sports Interaction; Gaming brands include Foxy Bingo, Gala, GiocoDigitale, Ninja Casino, Optibet, Partypoker and PartyCasino. The Group owns proprietary technology across all its core product verticals and in addition to its B2C operations provides services to a number of third-party customers on a B2B basis.

The Group has a 50/50 joint venture, BetMGM, a leader in sports betting and iGaming in the US. Entain provides the technology and capabilities which power BetMGM as well as exclusive games and products, specially developed at its in-house gaming studios. The Group is tax resident in the UK, operating in over 40 regulated or regulating territories. Entain is a leader in ESG, a member of FTSE4Good, the DJSI and is AA rated by MSCI. The Group has set a science-based target, committing to be carbon net zero by 2035 and through the Entain Foundation supports a variety of initiatives, focusing on safer gambling, grassroots sport, diversity in technology and community projects. For more information see the Group's website : www.entaingroup.com

LEI: 213800GNI3K45LQR8L28

Important notices

Certain statements in this announcement are forward-looking statements, including with respect to Entain's expectations, intentions and projections regarding its future performance, strategic initiatives, anticipated events or trends and other matters that are not historical facts and which are, by their nature, inherently predictive, speculative and involve risks and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. All statements that address expectations or projections about the future, including statements about operating performance, strategic initiatives, objectives, market position, industry trends, general economic conditions, expected expenditures, expected cost savings and financial results are forward‐looking statements. Any statements contained in this announcement that are not statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward‐looking statements. These forward-looking statements, which may use words such as "aim", "anticipate", "believe", "could", "intend", "estimate", "expect", "may", "plan", "project" or words or terms of similar meaning or the negative thereof, are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties. There are a number of factors including, but not limited to, commercial, operational, economic and financial factors, that could cause actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Many of these risks and uncertainties relate to factors that are beyond Entain's ability to control or estimate precisely, such as changes in taxation or fiscal policy, future market conditions, currency fluctuations, the behaviour of other market participants, the actions of governments or governmental regulators, or other risk factors, such as changes in the political, social and regulatory framework in which Entain operates or in economic or technological trends or conditions, including inflation, recession and consumer confidence, on a global, regional or national basis. Given those risks and uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this announcement. Entain and its affiliates, and any of its or their respective directors, officers, partners, employees, advisers or agents (collectively, "Representatives") expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise unless required to do so by applicable law or regulation.

This announcement is being issued by and is the sole responsibility of Entain. 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 Entain (apart from the responsibilities or liabilities that may be imposed by the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, as amended 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 Entain or any of its affiliates or any of its Representatives in connection with Entain and any responsibility and liability whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise therefore is expressly disclaimed.

Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc ("Morgan Stanley"), which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority in the United Kingdom, is acting exclusively as financial adviser to Entain and no one else in connection with the Acquisition. In connection with such matters, Morgan Stanley, its affiliates and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents will not regard any other person as their client, nor will they be responsible to anyone other than Entain for providing the protections afforded to clients of Morgan Stanley nor for providing advice in connection with the Acquisition, the contents of this announcement or any matter referred to herein.

Forward-looking statements

This document contains certain statements that are forward-looking statements. They appear in a number of places throughout this document and include statements regarding our intentions, beliefs or current expectations and those of our officers, directors and employees concerning, amongst other things, results of our operations, financial condition, liquidity, prospects, growth, strategies and the business we operate. These forward-looking statements include all matters that are not historical facts. By their nature, these statements involve risks and uncertainties since future events and circumstances can cause results and developments to differ materially from those anticipated. Any such forward-looking statements reflect knowledge and information available at the date of preparation of this document . Other than in accordance with its legal or regulatory obligations (including under the Market Abuse Regulation (596/2014), the Listing Rules, the Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules and the Prospectus Rules), Entain undertakes no obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statements. Nothing in this document should be construed as a profit forecast. Entain and its directors accept no liability to third parties in respect of this document save as would arise under English law.

 

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