Company Reports

The boards of GVC Holdings and Ladbrokes Coral announced that they have entered detailed negotiations in regards to a possible merger of the two companies. The discussions were given a start a non-binding proposal was sent from GVC Holdings to Ladbrokes Coral regarding a possible offer for the entire capital of Ladbrokes, which could end up with a combination of the businesses. The merger talks are now on the table only a few months after similar negotiations failed in the summer. In case that the merger discussions are now successful,…

The New South Wales (NSW) District Court has dismissed an appeal filed by the UK-based gambling operator Ladbrokes against the allegations it faced in terms of illegal advertising. The British gambling company was convicted for publishing illegal advertising materials which encouraged the local residents to place bets. Ladbrokes’s appeal was dismissed by Judge Martin Blackmore on December 5th, with the Judge confirming the decision of the Local Court which in April 2017 to rule against the operator and impose it a fine of AU$35,000. Apart from the monetary penalty, the…

The Australian casino operator Crown Resorts faced another hurdle, after being hit with a class action lawsuit from shareholders on Monday. Allegedly, the company had failed to inform its shareholders of its China marketing campaign that led to staff arrests in October 2016. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Crown’s shareholders who invested in the company in the period from February 6th, 2015 to October 16th, 2016. The federal court action was filed by the law firm Maurice Blackburn on behalf of some shareholders who claimed that the casino…

The Irish bookmaker Paddy Power had one of its TV ad taken down by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), after the regulator found out that a company’s TV ad seen in August 2017 breached the BCAP Code rules. Two complainants challenged a Paddy Power TV advert seen in August 2017, saying that it was socially irresponsible, because it implied to customers that it was acceptable for them to place bets while at work. The TV commercial featured a bored casino security guard using his mobile phone to wager on the…

The shareholders of Australian gambling company Tatts Group are to vote on the proposed AU$11-billion merger with the company’s rival Tabcorp in two weeks, regardless of the risk that the deal could once again be challenged in court. Reportedly, the Supreme Court of Victoria ordered Tatts Group to initiate a vote on its possible merger with Tabcorp on December 12th. At the same time, the Supreme Court also revealed that the local consumer regulatory authority as well as CrownBet, the rival online bookmaker which has strongly opposed to the deal,…

A large number of affluent players from all over the world are returning to Australia and its casinos, and what is more, industry experts have projected that the trend of such a growth is to continue. After a number of Crown Resorts employees were taken into custody in October 2016 for illegally promoting gambling in mainland China, Australian VIP casino programs faced a lot of difficulties. These setbacks have cast a shadow over Crown Resorts’ revenue generated from the Australian casino behemoth’s VIP program, reducing it by approximately 50%. As…

One of the leading British gambling and sportsbook operators – William Hill – has confirmed that negotiations over a possible deal between its Australian business and its rival company CrownBet had already started. Still, William Hill shared there was no certainty that the two companies will reach an agreement. The gaming and betting giant has revealed that it is in a very early stage of possible merger talks with the James Packer-owned online gambling company CrownBet, saying that it has held only “very preliminary discussions” with its Australia-based rival. Currently,…

Casino operator Crown Resorts has revealed the appointments of two non-executive members to its Board of Directors. The addition of the new directors came as the latest change in the recent overhaul of the company’s leadership team that has been brought in 2017. As mentioned above, the news came as one of the several leadership changes revealed by Crown over the current year. Most of the changes were made after the casino and gambling operator unveiled its decision to become more focused on its Australian operations and lessen its exposure…

Today, the leading UK gambling operator William Hill posted its latest trading update for the unaudited six months of the year and the full-year ended on October 24th 2017. The company highlighted its financial and operational progress over the second half of the year, reporting that both its retail net revenue and online net revenue rose over the above-mentioned period. Philip Bowcock, the Chief Executive Officer of William Hill, particularly praised the company for its online business performance, saying that UK wagering was 14% ahead of last year, regardless of…

The AU$11-billion merger deal between the gambling behemoths Tatts Group and Tabcorp seems to be back on track, after the Australian Competition Tribunal (ACT) gave its permission to the deal once again. The watchdog, however, allowed the deal to happen under once condition, which requires Tabcorp to dispose of its Odyssey Gaming business in Queensland. So, the two companies seem to may be forced to overcome more legal difficulties in case that the opponents of the merger decide to challenge it in court once again. Tabcorp commented on the decision…