The rush of interest in Playtech comes during a year of increased deal-making in the industry as the United States opens up to sports betting and potential bidders assess British gambling expertise.
JKO has indicated to Playtech it was in talks with New York-based investment firm Centerbridge Partners and other parties to explore funding for a possible bid, Playtech said late on Wednesday (17). Discussions with JKO were at an early stage and there was no certainty that they would result in an offer, it added.
JKO - controlled by Jordan and Keith O’Loughlin, a former executive at U.S. slot machine maker Scientific Games - confirmed in a separate statement it was evaluating making a competing offer to buy Playtech.
The news was first reported by Sky News which said Jordan’s consortium was working on a more than 3-billion-pound possible bid for Playtech.
Jordan, a former racing driver himself, owned an eponymous Formula One team until 2005 that included drivers like Rubens Barrichello and Ralf Schumacher.
Source: Reuters
