The acquisition deal of German brand Tipico Group by French giant Banijay Entertainment has been officially completed.
Foundations for the merger were established late last year, when Banijay – a major entertainment and media conglomerate – made its intentions clear to acquire a 65% stake in Tipico from CVC Capital.
With French gambling brand Betclic already under Banijay’s belt, the firm has now also taken control over Tipico and Admiral Austria, tapping into a 6.5 million customer base across Germany, France, Portugal, Austria, Poland and Côte d’Ivoire.
This positions Banijay as a major European player on the sports betting and online gaming scene. The firm expects its expanded Banijay Gaming division to achieve double digit revenue growth, with identified synergies of around €100m (£86.7m) over a mid-term period.
The deal follows a recent joint venture merger with infotainment firm RedBird IMI for a 50:50 control over All3Media, creating a major global content producing powerhouse.
On a pro forma basis in 2025, the combination of all assets would have generated revenues of €7.4bn (£6.4bn) for Banijay Group, adjusted EBITDA of €1.6bn, and adjusted free cash-flow of €1.2bn.
Internal restructuring includes the following:
– Joachim Baca moves from former Chief Executive officer of Tipico Group to Board Vice-Chairman of Banijay Gaming;
– Mate Bacic moves from CEO of Tipico Austria to CEO of Tipico Group;
– Nicolas Béraud, founder of Betclic and former CEO, becomes Chairman of the Board of Banijay Gaming;
– Julien Brun moves from Betclic COO to Betclic CEO.
Banijay Group retains 65% ownership of the Banijay Gaming capital, alongside CVC and the Tipico and Betclic founders. This percentage is planned to progressively increase to a minimum of 72% over the next few years.
Béraud commented: “With this combination, Banijay Gaming becomes a truly scaled European platform, with enhanced diversification and increased exposure to large, fully regulated markets.
“By bringing together our shared DNA and technologies, trading expertise and customer platforms, we will accelerate product innovation, enhance our omnichannel offering and deliver a more seamless and engaging experience to our players.
“Our priority now is to unlock the full potential of this combination to drive growth across all our markets.”
