Stars Group Inc acquires Sky Betting & Gaming Ltd for US$4,710M

Gaming company The Stars Group Inc said on Saturday it had agreed to buy Sky Betting and Gaming from owners CVC Capital Partners and Sky PLC, in a deal worth $4.71 billion. The deal comprises $3.6 billion in cash and the rest in newly-issued shares, the Toronto-based group said. British media company Sky said it would receive around 425 million pounds (US$595 million) in cash, as well as shares worth around 145 million pounds, in exchange for its 20 percent stake in Sky Bet.

CANADA - Gaming company The Stars Group Inc said on Saturday it had agreed to buy Sky Betting and Gaming from owners CVC Capital Partners and Sky PLC, in a deal worth $4.71 billion. The deal comprises $3.6 billion in cash and the rest in newly-issued shares, the Toronto-based group said. British media company Sky said it would receive around 425 million pounds (US$595 million) in cash, as well as shares worth around 145 million pounds, in exchange for its 20 percent stake in Sky Bet.

The Stars Group announced that the deal would create the world’s largest publicly-listed online gaming firm.

Date Announced: 04/21/2018 
Deal Status (as of publication date): Pending
Deal Value (mil): $4,709.93

ACQUIRER ADVISORS
Deutsche Bank (Provided Financing)
Goldman Sachs & Co (Provided Financing)
Macquarie Capital (USA) Inc (Provided Financing)
Morgan Stanley (Advisory; Provided Financing)
PJT Partners LP (Advisory)

Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP (Legal Advisor)
Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP (Legal Advisor)
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP (Legal Advisor)

TARGET ADVISORS
Undisclosed

Stars Group Inc is a provider of gambling services. It is a global gaming and interactive entertainment industry. The Company's business-to-consumer (B2C) business consists of the operations of Amaya Group Holding (IOM) Limited and its subsidiaries (collectively Rational Group). Rational Group offers products and services, such as online (including desktop and mobile) real-and play-money poker and other products, including casino and sports betting (also known as sportsbook). Rational Group also produces or sponsors certain live poker tours and events, branded poker rooms in casinos in cities around the world and poker programming for television and online audiences. It owns and operates gaming and related interactive entertainment businesses, which offers under such brands as PokerStars, Full Tilt, BetStars, StarsDraft, European Poker Tour, PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, Latin American Poker Tour and Asia Pacific Poker Tour. The Company was founded in August 2017 and is located in Toronto, Canada. 

Sky Betting & Gaming Ltd is a provider of gambling services. The Company provides online sports betting services. It also offers online poker, bingo, and casino games to customers in the United Kingdom. It has offices in Sheffield, London, Guernsey, Rome and Germany. The Company is located in Leeds, the United Kingdom.

Firm(s)

Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP