FDJ enters talks to buy ZEturf Group

Buying the sports betting brand would expand the French national lottery operator’s presence in online gambling.

France.- The French national lottery operator Française des Jeux (FDJ) has announced that it has entered exclusive negotiations about a possible acquisition of the online horse racing and sports betting brand ZEturf Group. The acquisition would boost FDJ’s plans to expand its presence in the online gambling market.

No details of the possible purchase price have been provided. ZEturf, which was established in 2001, has around 100 employees. It processed close to €800m in wagers and over €100m in pool bets in 2021, with half of its bets coming from online horse racing betting.

It’s estimated to have a market share of around 20 per cent in the horse racing betting sector, the largest share in the market. As such, any acquisition will surely be studied by competition authorities. ZETurf also has business in Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain.

FDJ saw its revenue rise in the first half. Net gaming revenue for the six months to June 30 reached €1.21bn, an increase of 12.1 per cent year-on-year. Lottery growth was the most significant contributor. 

Lottery sales rose by 17.1 per cent year-on-year to €946m. The operator put this down to the end of Covid-19 restrictions. Sports betting revenue fell by 4.9 per cent to €232m, which FDJ said was mainly due to a less busy calendar compared to 2021, which benefited from Euro 2020. 

FDJ had previously announced that it has entered exclusive negotiations with point-of-sale and payment provider Aleda. It’s now announced that it will acquire another payment company, L’Addition, which specialises in payment management, point-of-sale systems and management services for the hospitality and gastronomy sectors.