1 William Hill Approached by 888 and Rank For Gambling Merger
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William Hill approached by 888 and Rank for betting merger
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UK wagering company has been approached by rival gaming business 888 and Rank Group about a merger.
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William Hill stated it would "listen to and consider" any proposal.
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However, it was not clear that a combination of William Hill, 888 and Rank would "provide remarkable worth", the company said, external.

Online operator 888 and Rank, the UK's most significant casino chain, said they saw "significant industrial reasoning in the combination".

William Hill stated the method was "highly initial", while Rank and 888 stated they had actually not yet made an official bet9ja's welcome offer to the bookie's board.
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Shares in William Hill increased 4.8%, while 888 shares rose 3.4% and Rank lost 0.5%.

'Surprise'

The move comes just days after William Hill's primary executive, James Henderson, was ousted from the UK's most significant wagering shop operator following a series of earnings warnings.

Mr Henderson, who took the helm in August 2014, had actually stopped working to deal with problems in the company's having a hard time online business.

In May, its latest trading update, the yohaig code company said, external net earnings had fallen 11% in its online department in the 17 weeks to 26 April.

William Hill's shares have dropped 21% considering that the start of the year, valuing the previous FTSE 100 firm at ₤ 2.7 bn.

David Jennings, an analyst at Davy, stated the yohaig code news was "undoubtedly a surprise, considered that the combined value of 888 and Rank is ₤ 1.7 bn".
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Rank and 888 stated there was "no certainty that any deal will ultimately occur".

Rank's chief executive, Henry Birch, is a former head of William Hill's online division.
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Under UK takeover rules, the firms have until 21 August to either make a company bet9ja's welcome offer or leave.

The possible quote comes after William Hill tried to obtain 888 in 2015 in a ₤ 720m deal, but the yohaig code deal collapsed after 888 turned down the bet9ja's welcome offer as too low.

Ever since, competing betting firms Ladbrokes and Gala Coral have concurred a ₤ 2.3 bn merger which got preliminary regulator approval in May.
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The combined group would make it larger than William Hill, presently the largest UK bookmaker based upon variety of stores.

Irish bookmaker Paddy Power and online operator Betfair likewise agreed to join forces last September.

Gambling industry bets on combination

William Hill and 888 end quote talks

Betting merger might depend on shop sales

20 May 2016
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Paddy Power Betfair to cut 650 tasks

5 April 2016