bwin.party confirms merger of bwin France with Sajoo

bwin.party digital entertainment said Friday that it will merge its bwin France online gaming business with Sajoo.fr, the joint venture between bwin and French media group Amaury Group.

bwin.party said that it has decided to merge the two online gaming businesses as a result of the “challenging regulatory and fiscal regime that currently prevails in France” and in order to “drive greater value for both parties.”

The company has not disclosed any terms of the merger, but said that the combination will deliver real financial benefits in a number of areas including marketing and shared resources and that as a result, the combined entity will be “much better placed to deliver attractive financial returns.”

bwin and its local joint venture partner, Amaury Group, launched and developed online gaming services under the brand Sajoo to take advantage of the partial liberalisation of the French gaming market last year.

The company was among the first wave of operators to receive licences for sports betting and poker from regulator ARJEL in June 2010.

“Combining the resources of SAjOO and bwin France makes perfect sense and will only enhance our already strong position in the French market,” said Norbert Teufelberger, co-CEO of bwin.party. “With the prospect of a more commercial regulatory framework in 2012, we look forward to building a market leading enterprise with our long-standing partner.”

With an estimated 9 per cent share of the French online betting market, Sajoo.fr has already surpassed the goals set at its launch last year.

“This merger creates a new force in the French market, one that we expect will prosper over the months and years to come,” said Philippe Carli, Amaury Group’s CEO. “We remain optimistic that the current review of the existing regulatory framework being conducted by the French Government will result in significant improvements to the legal and regulatory framework.

“In this context, Amaury group is strengthening its involvement with bwin France, one of the sector’s leading operators.”