Betsson is really at home in Sweden and very much concentrates on the Scandinavian market. The German market is also catered to, but everywhere else Betsson is not quite as established as the company would like to be.
Naturally the UK has a huge appeal as it is one of the biggest gambling markets around. Thus Betsson AB has been making strides towards establishing a position in the highly competitive British market.
Only days ago it’s been announced that Betsson is set to acquire NetPlay TV, an interactive gaming company based in the UK. Betsson has offered £0.09 per share, which would come up to £26.9 million.
It’s worth noting that NetPlay TV has generated net revenue of £14.7 million during the first six months of 2016.
The deal has to be approved first, of course. Not only NetPlay TV shareholders will have their say in the matter, but the UK High Court of Justice also needs to provide a stamp of approval. The good news is that a number of NetPlay TV shareholders have already expressed support for the takeover by Betsson and the deal is indeed expected to be finalized in April.
NetPlay TV holds a UKGC license and calls three casino, bingo and sports betting brands its own. On top of that it provides online digital marketing services and other related operations on a B2B basis.
Ulrik Bengtsson, CEO and President of Betsson, anticipates “cost synergies and operational improvements” from the acquisition of NetPlay TV. He expects an addition of regionally regulated revenue as well, which Betsson places a lot of value in.
Lately Betsson has been expanding its operations more, that includes the acquisition of other ventures in the UK. In December RaceBets, a Malta-based bookmaker, has been acquired. The company holds licenses from multiple countries and has been around since 2005.
Betsson may have had a slightly disappointing year on the B2C side in 2016, but things seem to be looking up for 2017.