Sazka Group buys the largest Croatian betting company

M&A

Sazka Group has bought and took over the management of the leading betting company in Croatia SuperSport.

It is the largest provider of sports betting on the local market and can be described as the Croatian equivalent of the Czech Tipsport, which is the leader in the Czech Republic.

Both parties did not report the price or the share of the share because the former owner and one of the richest Croats Danko Ćorić is holding on to the side and rarely appearing in the media. However, Sazka said in a press release that the control should be a controlling share, according to the HN information it should be majority.

The Croatian company SuperSport was established in 2000 as a license and concession for the provision of sports betting services through its stone shops and the Internet, and it is from the Croatian government until 2025.

In recent years, the company’s turnover, which employs roughly a thousand people, was around 400 million crowns (about 1.4 billion crowns) according to local media and a net profit of around 170 million crowns (about 580 million crowns). Compared to the previous period, however, it is a decline, yet in 2014 the company posted revenues of 480 million kun (CZK 1.65 billion).

Negotiations on HN’s purchase took place for about a year and Sazka went to the store especially for the strong brand and position of the company in Croatia and at the same time a strong position in on-line bets. For example, Sazka operates in the Czech Republic, and companies could start collaborating in IT systems, for example. At the moment when most bets are on the internet, they are absolutely crucial for betting companies.

“The acquisition of SuperSport, which, according to gross profits, is the largest provider of sports betting on the Croatian market, gives us access to an attractive market while strengthening Sazka Group’s position in sports betting via the Internet,” said Robert Chvátal, CEO of Sazka Group. A year ago in an interview with HN, he said that within five years Sazka Group will be the largest lottery company in Europe.

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