Romania’s Superbet will acquire 100% of the shares of Napoleon from its current owner, investment fund Waterland Private Equity investments. Superbet said the deal would help its growth across Europe and beyond by providing access to the regulated Belgian market.
Superbet Group chief executive Johnny Hartnett said that in addition to allowing access to a new market, another major benefit of the deal for his business would be welcoming Napoleon’s staff.
“Napoleon’s core market and brand positioning in Belgium represents the ideal acquisition opportunity to deliver on our global expansion plan. It also delivers on our growth strategy of bringing in additional revenues from regulated markets with a strong online profile,” he explained. “Additionally, we’re looking forward to welcoming a hugely experienced and talented team to the Superbet family, who we believe are exceptionally well placed to deliver on market share gains in Belgium and beyond.”
Napoleon Sports & Casino chief executive Tim de Borle said the acquisition made sense as both businesses shares similar strategies, such as a focus on data.
“We are very excited to be joining Superbet Group on a mission to offer the best sports and gaming entertainment to millions of users,” he said. “The fact that Superbet and Napoleon are both data-driven and entrepreneurial companies focused on delivering innovative on-and offline entertainment for our players, makes me confident that this a perfect match.
“At Napoleon, we look forward to embarking on this next chapter of thrilling projects and international experience. Finally, I’d like to express our gratitude to Waterland for their support in the past 6 years.”
For the deal, Superbet was advised by Oakvale Capital, PJT Partners, Latham&Watkins, PwC, CMS and Herzog Fox & Neeman.
Last year, SuperBet expanded in Eastern Europe with a deal to acquire a 60% stake in online casino operator Lucky 7.
The operator’s recent expansion has been supported by a strategic investment of €175m from private equity giant the Blackstone Group.