A prominent European betting conglomerate, Entain, has declared a complete acquisition proposal for Enlabs, the Baltic Optibet operator.
The proposition, valued at 2.8 billion Swedish kronor (equivalent to 250 million pounds, 276.4 million euros, or 340.1 million dollars), will entail Entain offering 40 Swedish kronor for each of Enlabs’ 69.9 million outstanding shares.
Entain emphasized that the offer surpasses the closing price of Enlabs shares on Nasdaq First North on January 5, 2021, the final day preceding the submission of the proposal, by approximately 1.1%.
The operator, previously known as GVC, stated that the primary motivation behind the offer was to gain entry into the Baltic market. The company highlighted that Latvia (where Enlabs holds the market leadership position), along with Estonia and Lithuania (ranked second and among the top five, respectively), align with Entain’s focus on regulated markets. In November 2020, Entain announced its rebranding from GVC to Entain and declared its commitment to generating 100% of its revenue from locally regulated markets by the end of 2023.
Furthermore, the operator of Ladbrokes Coral and Bwin asserted that the agreement would facilitate Enlabs’ expansion into neighboring markets such as Ukraine (which legalized various forms of gambling in the preceding year) and Belarus.
Entain expressed confidence that its size and resources would empower Enlabs to continue generating value within its existing markets and new territories.
Entain firmly believes that in a competitive and controlled industry, scale and diversity are crucial for long-term shareholder prosperity. Entain values Enlabs’ structure and, by leveraging Entain’s size, proficiency, marketing abilities, and offerings, will propel further expansion, generating a positive effect for Enlabs personnel and other interested parties.
The Baltic region is an appealing, locally regulated, and rapidly expanding gaming market. Entain does not presently operate in these areas, and entering the region aligns with Entain’s strategy of focusing on locally regulated and taxed growth markets.
The acquisition of Enlabs represents a synergistic combination with a top-notch operator that possesses high operational standards and a market-leading customer proposition.
Entain stated that it does not intend to make significant alterations to Enlabs’ operations, management, or workforce.
At present, shareholders representing 42.2% of Entain’s equity have given their consent to the transaction, with the largest shareholders being real estate company Erlinghundra AB and investment fund Atletico Nordic B.V.
Erlinghundra has also agreed, if the deal is finalized, to invest €15 million in Entain shares and will retain these shares until at least the end of 2023.
Entain has decided to retain Niklas Braathan as the head of the Enlabs board, to expand Entain’s operations in the Baltic and Nordic areas and extend its reach into parts of Eastern Europe.
However, investors holding 10.7% of the company’s stock have voiced their disagreement with the takeover, claiming it “significantly undervalues” the business.
Alta Fox Capital Management, which currently owns 2,332,625 shares of Enlabs, representing 3.34% of the company’s total shares, issued a statement outlining its reasons for rejecting the acquisition. The company stated that it was backed by several other minority shareholders, including Topline Capital, which holds 2.44% of the shares, and private investors Hans Isoz, Jimmy Jonsson, and Ludwig Pettersson.
Alta Fox stated: “Following the deal, Entain will provide Braathan with executive compensation, which is unusual considering that Entain’s chief executive has recently announced his departure.” “This leads us to conclude that while this is a favorable transaction for Entain, it is an unfavorable deal for minority shareholders of Enlabs.”
US real estate giant MGM Resorts announced yesterday that it would not submit a formal offer to acquire Entain. Earlier this month, the company submitted a proposal for an all-stock transaction, but Entain’s board stated that the proposal “significantly undervalued” the business.
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