Italy

Flutter Entertainment’s Sisal Italia subsidiary has secured its latest international licence, having been awarded an exclusive eight-year sports betting licence in Morocco. The operator emerged as the victor in the tender process for Moroccan sportsbook operations from the La Marocaine des Jeux et des Sports (MDJS), whilst the licence has the added possibility of a two-year extension. Sisal will be …

The board of Lottomatica SPA has confirmed speculation that “it is reviewing all strategic options” with controlling shareholder Apollo Global.  The announcement was attached to Lottomatica’s Q4 and FY2022 consolidated results trading update, which underlined the firm’s improved Italian B2C performance following its divestment from IGT Plc in 2021. Strong close-of-year trading saw Lottomatica achieve Q4 group wagering of €6.7bn, …

MST (Media System Technologies) and XB Net have enhanced the scope of their Italy-facing partnership, expanding the former’s market reach. Specifics of the deal will see the duo work to develop a responsible horse racing business across online, mobile and retail betting verticals via 24/7 turnkey service. This suite of North American programming will be distributed to the company’s partners …

Apollo Global is reported to be reviewing options on its Lottomatica investment, which may see the heritage Italian gambling group listed on the Borsa Milan.     Bloomberg and local media report that Apollo eyes a “return to Piazza Affari” for Lottomatica, in which it has called on investment banks to price up a €1bn IPO. A Milan listing would see Apollo …

Stanleybet Group has disclosed that it has paid betting taxes ‘for the first time’ to Italy’s ADM Customs and Monopolies Agency. The heritage pan-European betting group filed an ‘F24 form’ via its Malta subsidiary, required to submit taxes related to its Italian betting shop presence for the period of 1 January to 31 December 2022 – legally by 31 January …

In the wake of crises and controversy shaking up the world of global cryptocurrency trading, Fabio Panetta, a member of the European Central Bank’s (ECB) Executive Board, has called for greater oversight.  In a blog post published today on the ECB’s website, Panetta argued that recent developments have heightened the need for greater regulation of cryptocurrency in a number of …

Italy’s online gambling marketplace welcomes a new player as DAZN launches its sportsbook service powered by Bet Class Italia SRL. The DAZNBet.it brand made its soft-launch debut at the beginning of December “to test and build-up its Italian sportsbook offering for local audiences”. A key market of DAZN since 2018, the OTT platform has operated its on-demand streaming service, featuring …

Providing a solid bedrock for the Q4 acquisition of BetFlag, Lottomatica recorded year-to-date revenue of over €1bn as of September 2022. As reported in the multinational betting and gaming group’s consolidated interim trading report, this marks a 100% increase on September 2021’s YTD revenue of €462.5m.  On the other hand, EBITDA stood at €129.1m, a 12.7% increase on 2021’s €71.5m, …

Stanleybet Group has announced that it will expand into the Spanish retail betting market, launching its initial operations in the autonomous province of Andalusia.  The heritage European gambling group has obtained a Spanish retail betting licence, and secured further Andalusian rights to open its first shop venue in the city of Malaga – expected to take place by the first …

Lottomatica SPA has agreed to acquire Italian online sportsbook and casino operator Betflag (Betflag.it) – in a move to refresh its online gambling portfolio.  The acquisition was undertaken by Lottomatica subsidiary GBO SPA, which agreed on terms to acquire Betflag outright for a valuation of €310m. The deal represents Lottomatica’s first M&A play since the heritage Italian gambling group was …