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UK/Canada: William Hill walks away from merger talks with Amaya

By  |  October 18, 2016

William Hill has called off a proposed £4.6bn merger with Canada’s Amaya after its largest shareholder came out against the deal, raising questions about its future.

The UK bookmaker has been looking for a transformational deal for months as a wave of consolidation spreads through the global gaming industry. William Hill started negotiations with Amaya, which runs online poker business Pokerstars, saying it would create a “clear international leader across online sports betting, poker and casino games”.

However, William Hill said on Tuesday that after canvassing views from a number of major shareholders its board had decided not to pursue discussions with Amaya.

Divyesh Gadhia, chairman of Amaya, said the Canadian company had “evaluated a wide range of strategic alternatives to maximise shareholder value” and “concluded that remaining an independent company is in the best interest of Amaya’s shareholders at this time”.

Full content: Financial Times

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