[Article mis à jour le 22 janvier 2023 à 09h39] This Monday morning, the FDJ finalizes the offer consisting of 100% acquisition of Kindred, a heavyweight in online gaming. The Malta-based company, which owns Unibet, has 30 million customers.
As the media begins to take up the subject, the Kindred company decided to confirm, late Sunday January 21, that it had been approached by Française des Jeux (FDJ), with a view to its takeover. The French company, which was once under state control, is expected to take over the online gaming and betting operator for $2.8 billion.
The FDJ wants to acquire the owner of Unibet, giant of online games and betting
These are our colleagues from Wall Street Journal who were the first to sound the alert, prompting Kindred Group to react. The company, listed on the Stock Exchange in Stockholm but headquartered in Malta, confirmed the information on Sunday evening, indicating that “ the FDJ proposed to acquire the entire share capital of Kindred “.
According to WSJthe envelope allocated by Française des Jeux for this acquisition would weigh 2.8 billion dollars, or nearly 2.6 billion euros, which the French company confirmed Monday morning.
The Kindred company is not very well known in France, but it is one of the major players in online games and betting in the world. It is particularly present in Europe, Australia and North America. Of its 30 million customers and 9 brands, we mainly remember Unibet, a Swedish company originally which has around 15 million customers in France and around the world, thanks to its sports betting, online poker and gaming activities. casino.
The FDJ has already recently acquired its Irish equivalent
As for the Française des Jeux, there has been a lot of movement in recent months. Last November, the Boulogne-Billancourt company, which carries the Loto, Euro Millions and the brand new EuroDreams games, completed the acquisition of Premier Lotteries Ireland, its Irish equivalent, for around 350 million euros, which at the time corresponded to the value of the company.
No later than January 15, 2024, the FDJ group unveiled a new advertising campaign on the importance of setting rules, to prevent excessive gambling and protect minors. The company is trying to show its credentials a few months before the Paris Olympic Games, of which it is one of the official partners.
By acquiring Kindred, Française des Jeux could fill its portfolio with a company that counts in the field of online sports games and betting. With, undoubtedly, the idea of becoming one of the heavyweights.
Sources: Clubic, Wall Street Journal
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