Flutter-Stars approval a helpful guide for future deals, says gaming lawyer

The UK Competition and Markets Authority’s approval of the Flutter Entertainment – Stars Group merger would have surprised some analysts, according to David McLeish.

M&A

McLeish, partner at legal firm Wiggin, which acts on a number of deals within the gaming sector, features in the July/August edition of Gambling Insider magazine with analysis on gaming mergers and acquisitions.

In recent weeks, Evolution Gaming has neared the acquisition of NetEnt, while DraftKings completed its purchase of SBTech earlier this year; meanwhile, Eldorado Resorts is nearing final regulatory approval for its acquisition of Caesars Entertainment.

From a digital perspective, however, Flutter – Stars was the most significant merger in recent months, having completed in May.

And McLeish says the deal will prove a useful measure of future M&A, with many anticipating intervention from the UK Competition and Marks Authority.

The Wiggin partner tells Gambling Insider: “A key early focus on deals is around the competition aspects. For example, when Ladbrokes and Coral merged, they had to sell off a not-insubstantial number of shops, which ended up going to Betfred.

“The online gambling product-by-product analysis applied by UK Competition and Markets Authority on the Flutter-Stars deal (with Stars holding no retail interests) surprised some and will be a helpful guide for future deals in the online space – but you still have to look at it on a case-by-case basis.”

Flutter Entertinament’s shares are currently valued at £107.00 ($134.16), up from the end of last week, which saw stocks sit at £105.95 per share.

Premium+ Connections
Premium

GammaStack

 
Premium

Sport Generate

 
Premium

Revsharks

 
Premium

Lynon

 
Premium

1xBet Partners

 
Premium

Digitain

 
 
Premium

Galaxsys

 
Premium

RISK

 
Premium

Imagine Live

 
Premium

PIN-UP Partners

 
Premium Connections
Consultancy

SCCG Management

Executive Profiles
Zeal Network SE

Stefan Tweraser

VIP Play

Les Ottolenghi

Scientific Games

Keshav Pitani

Social & App

Spribe CEO exclusive: Simplicity is the foundation

Spribe CEO David Natroshvili speaks to Gambling Insider abou...

Redefining iGaming: A history of crash games

Crash games is a growing vertical that has taken gambling by...

A certain something: What makes crash games special?

Crash games. They’re simple, they’re easy to learn and,...

Smarter innovation to shape the future

Spribe CCO Giorgi Tsutskiridze discusses the past, present a...

Facing Facts: The corner of quarterly contemplation

With Q1 reports out across the industry, Gambling Insider co...

Taking Stock: A guide to key stock prices across the industry

Gambling Insider tracks prices from some of the industry’s...

15 years of Gambling Insider: From the Founders

Over the last 15 years, Gambling Insider magazine has interv...

15 years of Gambling Insider: The Awards over time

Global Gaming Awards Event Manager Mariya Savova gives us he...