Italian Gambling Giant Sisal Enters UK National Lottery Bidding War
Sisal is one of Italy's largest gambling operators. It runs one country's most popular lotteries, SuperEnalotto. Sisal will lead a consortium that will seek to seize control of the National Lottery from its long-time operator Camelot. The consortium will receive financial backing from private equity firm CVC Capital partners. CVC Capital acquired a 100% equity stake in Sal for €1 billion in 2016. Camelots license to operate the lottery expires in 2023.
Sisal is trying to expand its lottery footprint abroad. It has recently won bids in Turkey and Morocco and was granted license renewal in Italy. Sisal's competition in the UK is against Camelot and Czech lottery operator SAZKA. Apollo Global Management has backed SAzka's bid for the National Lottery license with a €500 million investment.