Flutter Entertainment acquires Snaitech for €2.3 billion, enhancing its market position in Italy's online betting sector.
Quiver AI Summary
Flutter Entertainment has successfully completed the acquisition of Snaitech S.p.A., a leading omni-channel operator in Italy, for an enterprise value of €2.3 billion. This strategic move enhances Flutter's position in the Italian market, which is Europe's largest regulated market with substantial online growth potential. The acquisition is expected to increase Flutter’s market share in Italy to around 30% and leverage Snaitech's strong retail presence to capitalize on new customer acquisition opportunities. Flutter anticipates achieving cost synergies of at least €70 million within three years, along with revenue synergies from its advanced technologies. The financing for the acquisition was secured through a €2.5 billion bridge credit facility, expected to mature in April 2026. CEO Peter Jackson expressed enthusiasm about the integration of Snaitech into Flutter's portfolio, foreseeing significant growth opportunities. Further updates, including financial guidance, are set to be released on May 7, 2025.
Potential Positives
- Flutter has completed the acquisition of Snaitech S.p.A. for an enterprise value of €2.3 billion, enhancing its market position in Italy, Europe’s largest regulated market.
- The acquisition is expected to increase Flutter's online market share in Italy to approximately 30%, positioning the company for significant growth in a market with high online growth potential.
- Flutter anticipates achieving cost synergies of at least €70 million and capex synergies of €10 million within three years of closing, indicating a strong potential for value creation.
- The integration of Snai is expected to expand and diversify customer acquisition opportunities for Flutter, leveraging Snai's strong brand and engaged customer base.
Potential Negatives
- The acquisition of Snai involves significant debt financing of €2.5 billion, which could increase financial risk and leverage for Flutter.
- The expected synergies from the acquisition are contingent upon various assumptions and uncertainties, which may not be realized as projected.
- The increase in leverage may negatively impact Flutter's credit rating and financial flexibility, raising concerns among investors and analysts.
FAQ
What acquisition did Flutter Entertainment recently complete?
Flutter Entertainment completed the acquisition of Snaitech S.p.A., a leading omni-channel operator in Italy, for €2.3 billion.
How does the acquisition of Snaitech benefit Flutter?
The acquisition enhances Flutter's position in Italy's regulated market, increasing its online market share to approximately 30%.
What are the expected synergies from the Snaitech acquisition?
Flutter anticipates at least €70 million in cost synergies and €10 million in capex synergies within three years.
Who is the CEO of Flutter Entertainment?
Peter Jackson is the CEO of Flutter Entertainment, expressing excitement about the strategic acquisition of Snaitech.
When will Flutter provide financial guidance updates?
Flutter will provide financial guidance updates as part of its first quarter results on May 7, 2025.
Disclaimer: This is an AI-generated summary of a press release distributed by GlobeNewswire. The model used to summarize this release may make mistakes. See the full release here.
$FLUT Insider Trading Activity
$FLUT insiders have traded $FLUT stock on the open market 15 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 1 have been purchases and 14 have been sales.
Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $FLUT stock by insiders over the last 6 months:
- JEREMY PETER JACKSON has made 0 purchases and 6 sales selling 28,923 shares for an estimated $7,540,837.
- AMY HOWE (CEO & President - FanDuel) has made 0 purchases and 7 sales selling 14,508 shares for an estimated $3,753,430.
- NANCY DUBUC purchased 387 shares for an estimated $99,846
- ROBERT COLDRAKE (Chief Financial Officer) sold 166 shares for an estimated $42,348
To track insider transactions, check out Quiver Quantitative's insider trading dashboard.
$FLUT Hedge Fund Activity
We have seen 278 institutional investors add shares of $FLUT stock to their portfolio, and 187 decrease their positions in their most recent quarter.
Here are some of the largest recent moves:
- HSBC HOLDINGS PLC removed 5,308,229 shares (-96.7%) from their portfolio in Q4 2024, for an estimated $1,371,911,785
- BARCLAYS PLC removed 3,811,414 shares (-78.3%) from their portfolio in Q4 2024, for an estimated $985,059,948
- BANK OF MONTREAL /CAN/ removed 3,165,012 shares (-94.0%) from their portfolio in Q4 2024, for an estimated $817,997,351
- INVESCO LTD. added 2,405,415 shares (+inf%) to their portfolio in Q4 2024, for an estimated $621,679,506
- CITIGROUP INC removed 2,266,751 shares (-89.1%) from their portfolio in Q4 2024, for an estimated $585,841,795
- BLACKROCK, INC. added 1,922,587 shares (+40.8%) to their portfolio in Q4 2024, for an estimated $496,892,610
- LONE PINE CAPITAL LLC added 1,912,519 shares (+inf%) to their portfolio in Q4 2024, for an estimated $494,290,535
To track hedge funds' stock portfolios, check out Quiver Quantitative's institutional holdings dashboard.
$FLUT Analyst Ratings
Wall Street analysts have issued reports on $FLUT in the last several months. We have seen 6 firms issue buy ratings on the stock, and 0 firms issue sell ratings.
Here are some recent analyst ratings:
- UBS issued a "Buy" rating on 03/06/2025
- Needham issued a "Buy" rating on 03/05/2025
- Wells Fargo issued a "Overweight" rating on 03/05/2025
- Citigroup issued a "Outperform" rating on 03/05/2025
- BTIG issued a "Buy" rating on 02/03/2025
- Craig-Hallum issued a "Buy" rating on 11/13/2024
To track analyst ratings and price targets for $FLUT, check out Quiver Quantitative's $FLUT forecast page.
$FLUT Price Targets
Multiple analysts have issued price targets for $FLUT recently. We have seen 6 analysts offer price targets for $FLUT in the last 6 months, with a median target of $319.0.
Here are some recent targets:
- An analyst from UBS set a target price of $340.0 on 03/06/2025
- An analyst from Needham set a target price of $310.0 on 03/05/2025
- An analyst from Susquehanna set a target price of $315.0 on 03/05/2025
- An analyst from Barclays set a target price of $308.0 on 03/05/2025
- Clark Lampen from BTIG set a target price of $323.0 on 02/03/2025
- Ryan Sigdahl from Craig-Hallum set a target price of $350.0 on 11/13/2024
Full Release
NEW YORK, April 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Flutter Entertainment (NYSE: FLUT; LSE: FLTR) (“Flutter”) the world’s leading online sports betting and iGaming operator today announces that it has completed the acquisition of Snaitech S.p.A. (“Snai”), one of Italy’s leading omni-channel operators from a subsidiary of Playtech plc, for cash consideration based on an enterprise value of €2.3b 1 .
The acquisition of Snai, which will be positioned within the Southern Europe & Africa region of our International division, aligns with Flutter’s strategy to invest in leadership positions in attractive international markets, and we believe will create shareholder value through:
- Adding an enhanced position in Italy, Europe’s largest regulated market which has significant online growth potential due to comparatively low online penetration rates. Advertising restrictions also increase the strategic importance of Snai’s strong and complimentary retail presence. Adding Snai to the Flutter portfolio will increase Flutter’s online market share in Italy to approximately 30% 2
- Enhancing Flutter’s “local hero” brand portfolio. Snai has a strong base of highly engaged omnichannel customers along with one of the most recognizable brands which is expected to expand and diversify customer acquisition opportunities for Flutter in Italy
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Delivering meaningful value creation, through access to the Flutter Edge, with target operating cost synergies of at least €70m, to be achieved within three years of closing at a cost of 1.25x and capex synergies at €10m. Revenue synergies are expected to be achieved by leveraging Flutter Edge capabilities across pricing and risk management, in-house iGaming content and other Flutter technology to enhance the experience offered to Snai’s customers
Peter Jackson, CEO, commented:
“I am delighted to welcome Snai, one of the leading gaming brands in Italy, to the Group. Snai’s significant omnichannel presence brings strategically important assets to enhance Flutter’s position in Italy. The transaction fits perfectly with our strategy for value creating M&A and is expected to bring about significant growth opportunities for Snai by providing access to Flutter’s market leading products and capabilities. It is with great excitement we can now start working with Snai to implement our robust integration plans and begin to realise the compelling benefits of this combination.”
The transaction has been completed using the debt facilities set out below. We expect leverage to increase but then reduce given the highly visible profitable growth opportunities that exist across the Group and we remain committed to our medium-term leverage ratio of 2.0-2.5x.
Flutter will provide a further update, including financial guidance, as part of is first quarter results on May 7, 2025.
Bridge Credit Agreement
As previously disclosed the Company entered into an amended and restated commitment letter with certain banks (the “Commitment Parties”) to obtain binding commitments in respect of a senior secured first lien term loan comprising an aggregate Euro principal of €2.5 billion (the “Facility”) to fund the Snai acquisition.
On April 29, 2025, the Company and certain of its subsidiaries converted the binding commitments into a definitive bridge credit agreement (the “Bridge Credit Agreement ”) with the Commitment Parties to draw down the Facility in full.
The Company plans to use the Facility to:
- finance or refinance amounts payable in connection with the acquisition
- finance or refinance certain indebtedness as the Company may elect
- pay fees and/or expenses in connection with the foregoing
- finance general corporate purposes and working capital of the group
The Facility will:
- mature April 29, 2026, with two additional 6 month extension options
- bear interest at a per annum rate equal to EURIBOR plus an applicable margin equal to 1.25%, which is subject to certain step-ups over the term of the Facility
The other terms of the Bridge Credit Agreement are substantially similar to the terms of the Term Loan A, Term Loan B and Revolving Credit Facility Agreement dated November 24, 2023 (and as amended from time to time) entered into between, amongst others, the Company and J.P. Morgan SE as Administrative Agent.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements reflect our current expectations as to future events based on certain assumptions and include any statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact. In some cases, you can identify these forward-looking statements by the use of words such as “outlook”, “believe(s)”, ”expect(s)”, “potential”, “continue(s)”, “may”, “will”, “should”, “could”, “would”, “seek(s)”, “predict(s)”, “intend(s)”, “trends”, “plan(s)”, “estimate(s)”, “anticipates”, “projection”, “goal”, “target”, “aspire”, “will likely result”, and or the negative version of these words or other comparable words of a future or forward-looking nature. Such forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties and there are or will be important factors that could cause actual outcomes or results to differ materially from those indicated in these statements. The ability to predict results or actual effects of our plans and strategies is inherently uncertain. Accordingly, actual results may differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, the forward-looking statements. In addition, the ability to achieve estimated cost synergies in the timeframe described in this press release, or at all, is subject to various assumptions, which involve risks and uncertainties. In addition, we may incur additional or unexpected costs to realize these cost synergies. The ability to predict results or actual effects of our plans and strategies is inherently uncertain. Accordingly, actual results may differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, the forward-looking statements.
Factors that could cause Flutter’s results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in Part I, “Item 1A. Risk Factors” of Flutter’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and other periodic filings with the SEC, which are accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Flutter undertakes no obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by law.
About Flutter Entertainment plc
Flutter is the world’s leading online sports betting and iGaming operator, with leading positions in markets across the world, including the US. Our ambition is to leverage our significant scale and our challenger mindset to change our industry for the better. By Changing the Game, we believe we can deliver long-term growth while promoting a positive, sustainable future for all our stakeholders. We are well-placed to do so through the distinctive, global competitive advantages of the Flutter Edge, which gives our brands access to group-wide benefits to stay ahead of the competition, as well as our clear vision for sustainability through our Positive Impact Plan.
Flutter operates a diverse portfolio of leading online sports betting and iGaming brands including FanDuel, Sky Betting & Gaming, Sportsbet, PokerStars, Paddy Power, Sisal, tombola, Betfair, MaxBet, Junglee Games and Adjarabet.
To learn more about Flutter, please visit our website at www.flutter.com .
Contacts:
Investor Relations: | Media Relations: |
Paul Tymms, Investor Relations | Kate Delahunty, Corporate Communications |
Ciara O'Mullane, Investor Relations | Lindsay Dunford, Corporate Communications |
Chris Hancox, Investor Relations | Rob Allen, Corporate Communications |
Email : [email protected] | Email: [email protected] |
Notes:
- On a cash-free and debt-free basis
- Italian market and market share data based on regulator GGR data from Agenzia delle dogane e dei Monopoli (“ADM”)
This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact [email protected] or visit www.rns.com .