UK’s CMA to Investigate Flutter–Stars Gambling Deal

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is going to review the £10 billion (€11.8 billion) merger between Flutter Entertainment and The Stars Group.

The Authority said it would investigate whether the deal would result in a “substantial lessening of competition” in the UK gambling market.

An investigation into the deal between Flutter and Stars, which was announced in October, had been expected by some, given recent moves by the CMA to focus more on competition online.

Brands controlled by Flutter and Stars make up about 40% of the UK’s online sports betting market. Analysts estimated that the two companies control about 26% of the overall online gambling market in the UK.

The deal is expected to close in the second or third quarter of this year depending on the CMA’s findings and, if successful, will create the largest online betting operator in the world by revenue.