On the face of it, the deal seems like a suit made in heaven as on-line poker gigantic Amaya, the owner of PokerStars, is struggling to grow its sports e-book, a vertical by which William Hill has a strong presence, whereas William Hill has been experiencing problem improving its on-line offering, a neighborhood which Amaya has excelled in over the years. remaining week, William Hill and Amaya released a joint remark laying out their strategic plans, and as an extract from the press release explained:
"The knowledge merger can be in keeping with the strategic ambitions of each William Hill and Amaya and would create a clear foreign leader throughout online sports betting, poker and casino."
In 2015, Amaya generated C$1.4 billion in revenues, with online poker accounting for 78% of that complete, and on-line casino and sportsbook simply 17%. through evaluation, closing year William Hill generated £1.59 billion, with its retail operation accounting for fifty six% of revenues (£889.5m), and its online product 35% (£550.7m). moreover, William Hill is predominantly reliant on the uk market, and its plan to merge with Amaya appears to tie in properly with elements outlined within the company's H1 2016 record, which pointed out:
"The community's method is to diversify our sources of revenue internationally, thereby decreasing our reliance on the united kingdom market and the have an impact on of any fiscal, regulatory or economic alterations. these days, 84% of revenues come from the united kingdom and sixteen% from our international organizations, with more work to be carried out to take a greater focused method to overseas boom."
even if the deal will ultimately go ahead is still to be viewed, even though, particularly as any agreement will sooner or later require the backing of the companies' respective shareholders if it is to move through.
