UK competition watchdog formally okays Ladbrokes-Gala Coral merger

The UK competition watchdog has formally approved the merger of gambling operators Ladbrokes and Gala Coral Group.

On Wednesday, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) officially approved the sale of 360 betting shops to Betfred, Stan James and Bet 21, which was announced 10 days ago. The CMA had ordered the shops sell-off to alleviate market saturation concerns brought on by the pending merger of the two betting powerhouses.

Last week’s announcement revealed that Betfred was in line to acquire 322 shops while Stan James picked up 37. A single shop was tagged for disposal to an unidentified buyer, which has now been revealed as the little known Bet 21 Ltd.

Ladbrokes issued a statement saying it expects the merger with Gala Coral to take place “in the very near future.” In the meantime, Lads plans to publish a prospectus to prep the enlarged company for readmission to the London Stock Exchange.