Today two of the biggest brands in the betting and gaming world have formally announced a merger. The new group immediately overtakes William Hill as the biggest land based bookmaker in the UK.
The pair tried before to merge back in 1998 but fell foul of the competition authorities. But now, customers don’t just have shops but a competitive online environment to choose from. The merger this time should be slightly more straight forward.
Closure of some shops is on the cards as a possible requirement of the deal. In many ways this suits both parties; betting shops are not the same cash cow that they once were and will give both brands a chance to shave the bottom end of the scale in terms of shop profitability.
There could be further amalgamation in the space soon. Will William Hill tie up with Paddy Power or Bet 365? Will a new player come in to the UK market to acquire any shops sold off?
Exciting times for betting ahead!
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