A minor stakeholder in iGaming content giant Playtech PLC has entered bid to take over the Isle of Man-based supplier to compete with the plan of Australian slot supplier Aristocrat Leisure Limited to acquire Playtech.
Aristocrat has indicated it will push forward with its planned acquisition of Playtech despite the new bid from Gopher Investments, which owns a 4.97 percent stake in the company, according to a report in Inside Asian Gaming.
According to news reports, Gopher’s offer could be as much as £3 billion (US$4 billion), trumping the reported AU$3.9 billion (US$2.9 billion) bid announced by Aristocrat in October.
In a statement issued through the ASX on Monday morning, Aristocrat said it was aware of Gopher’s interest but “will continue to work with Playtech to progress the recommended acquisition and urges Playtech shareholders to vote in favor of the Aristocrat recommended acquisition at the shareholder meetings once the Scheme Document has been published.”
Aristocrat clarified that its offer values Playtech at £2.1 billion (US$2.9 billion) on a fully diluted basis and £2.7 billion (US$3.7 billion) on an enterprise value basis.
The Australian gaming giant has already raised AU$895 million (US$673 million) towards its proposed acquisition via an institutional entitlement offer.
