Rumors are flying that Ireland’s second-largest bookmaker, BoyleSports, is for sale ahead of Ireland’s planned regulatory reorganization of the gaming market.
The Irish Independent last week reported that the company, founded in 1982, is viewed as an “attractive acquisition target.” One possible interested party is Entain Plc.
The company, which operates 350 betting shops and employs 2,500, currently has no CEO. Its last chief executive, Mark Kemp, joined DAZN in February.
BoyleSports plans to launch gaming subsidiaries in Kenya and South Africa next year while entering the online gaming markets of the Netherlands and Canada.
Meanwhile, the Irish parliament is working to finish the final version of the Gambling Regulation Bill, which would be the first update of the Betting Act in nearly a century. Several months ago the government agreed to appoint Anne Marie Caulfield as the first CEO of the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland, even though the legislation under which it would operate still hasn’t been finalized.
Ireland is the only EU nation that hasn’t created a regulatory framework for iGaming.
