Vienna-based Bwin may bid 70 pence a share for Sportingbet in the next few weeks, the newspaper reported yesterday, without saying where it got the information. Sportingbet spokesman George Hudson said the company wouldn't comment on speculation. Bwin spokesman Matthias Winkler also declined to comment.
London-based Sportingbet, which was forced to exit the U.S. by a 2006 crackdown on foreign gambling Web sites, ended talks on a possible takeover bid by Bwin in July. Online gaming operators have considered mergers and acquisitions as a way of replacing lost revenue after the U.S. law was introduced.