French national lottery operator Française des Jeux (FDJ) has entered into exclusive negotiations over the acquisition of online horse racing and sports betting brand ZEturf Group.
Details of the talks or financial terms of the potential deal were not disclosed, but FDJ did state that the purchase would form part of wider plans to expand its presence in France’s online gambling market.
Founded in 2001, ZEturf employs approximately 100 staff and processed almost €800.0m (£701.6m/$802.5m) in wagers, including more than €100.0m in pool bets, in 2021.
According to FDJ, online horse racing betting accounts for more than 50% of ZEturf bets. This makes the business France’s second largest operator in this segment with a market share of around 20%.
In addition to its activities in France, ZEturf operates in the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain.
Should the acquisition proceed to the next stage, the deal would be subject to approval by competition and regulatory authorities
The talks come after FDJ in July this year also announced that it had entered into exclusive negotiations with Aleda, a point-of-sale and payment provider, with intent to buy the business.
The operator said the planned acquisition was part of the development strategy for FDJ’s payment and services business, while it would also reinforce its commitment to merchants by helping them manage their points of sale.
Upon posting its first-half results in the same month, FDJ also announced the acquisition of payments specialist L’Addition. The business specialises in payment management, point-of-sale systems and management services for the cafe, hotel and restaurant sector.
