Spain’s CIRSA buys GanaBet.mx

The Spanish gambling group says the acquisition forms part of its global sportsbook expansion.

Spain.- The Blackstone-owned Spanish gambling group CIRSA has confirmed an agreement to buy Mexico’s GanaBet.mx. The company has set aside €20m to buy the Guadalajara-based operator as part of plans to expand its sportsbook operations internationally.

The deal will mean that Grupo CIRSA will have three main sportsbook brands with GanaBet.mx joining its existing brands Sportium in Spain and EPlay24 in Italy. It described GanaBet as Mexico’s “fifth largest online betting house”. As well as sports betting, it has licences for online casino, slots and bingo.

CIRSA has described 2022 as its best year in business with operating income of €550m. It now operates 146 casinos and more 81,000 machines, 78 bingo halls, 241 lounges and nearly 3,000 sports betting points in nine countries.

In September, Grupo CIRSA announced that it will be the exclusive operator of the Casino de Tanger in Morocco. Approved by the municipality of Tanger-Tetouan, CIRSA will take over the management of the 2,000m2 hotel and casino.

Barcelona-based CIRSA already runs two casinos in Morocco, in Agadir on the southwest coast. They are now open again following Covid-19 lockdowns. CIRSA says that with the addition in the northern port city of Tangier, it will now be Morocco’s largest casino operator.

There has been speculation about whether Blackstone will launch an IPO for the gambling group, but it has yet to reveal its plans for the business, which it bought from Manuel Lao Hernandez in 2018.  

Last month, the board of Grupo CIRSA announced that it had split the company’s CEO and chairman roles. Joaquim Agut, who has served in both roles since the investment company Blackstone bought the group, is now chairman while Antonio Hostench has been named CEO.