CMA clears GVC / Ladbrokes merger
The CMA has cleared GVC’s acquisition of Ladbrokes following its merger investigation.
GVC Holdings plc (GVC) and Ladbrokes Coral Group plc (Ladbrokes) both supply online betting and gaming services.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has been carrying out an investigation into the proposed merger. This has found that the merger does not give rise to competition concerns.
GVC has a small presence in the UK and only offers services online. The CMA has found that GVC and Ladbrokes are not close rivals and there are many other providers of betting and gaming services online.
The CMA looked closely at betting services for individual sports and individual games but found that, in all cases, there will be enough rivals to the merged entity to prevent price increases or a reduced quality of service as a result of the merger.
The merger will therefore not be referred for an in-depth investigation.
Information relating to this investigation can be found on the case page.