Fortuna boosts Romania presence with Penta acquisitions

Eastern European betting and lottery operator Fortuna Entertainment Group says it’s close to sealing another major deal that will further boost its Romanian market presence.

On Wednesday, the Czech Republic-based Fortuna announced it was in the process of negotiating the acquisition of Romanian companies Bet Active Concept SRL, Bet Zone SRL, Public Slots SRL and Slot Arena SRL from Fortbet Holdings Ltd.

Fortbet is a subsidiary of Penta Investment Group, Fortuna’s majority shareholder. In 2015, Fortuna inked a licensing deal with Penta that allowed Bet Active Concept and Bet Zone to use the Fortuna brand in Romania.

Fortuna says the acquisition’s share purchase agreement is still being finalized but expects the purchase price will come in around €47m, of which around €15m will be deferred for up to 48 months. Fortuna said the price tag was supported by a third-party evaluation. Fortuna has also promised to refinance around €3m of Fortbet’s loans.