The completion of the acquisition deal between FDJ and ZEturf was announced, marking the end of a process that began in November last year. This transaction values ZEturf at €175.0m (£151.6m/$185.0m) and received approval from the French Competition Authority (l’Autorité de la Concurrence) last month.
ZEturf, founded in 2001, is an online horse race betting platform that also offers internet sports betting through the ZEbet brand. It generated over €50.0m in revenue in 2022 and employs approximately 100 people.
CEO and chairwoman of FDJ, Stéphane Pallez, stated that the acquisition of ZEturf marks a new chapter for FDJ, strengthening their position in the French market for online games open to competition. Pallez added that this expansion aligns with their responsible gaming model and enhances FDJ Group’s growth prospects.
In order to address concerns raised by the competition regulator, FDJ plans to establish a new organisational structure for the business. These measures aim to optimize expected synergies and ensure fair competition in the market.
FDJ has committed to separate its monopoly and competitive gaming operations by setting up separate websites and applications for each business area, with no common gateway or homepage connecting them. User accounts will also be separate for each activity. Additionally, FDJ will refrain from using customer data from the monopoly player database to promote competitive gaming activities.
FDJ will not promote its competitive gaming activities in its retail outlets or online lottery hubs. Separate social media accounts will be maintained, and the sales team will receive training to ensure compliance with these commitments.
The deal also includes an agreement to allow licensed operators in France to access the common pool of horse racing betting stakes managed by FDJ. The existing pooling agreements will be maintained.
These actions satisfied the concerns of l’Autorité de la Concurrence, leading to the approval of the acquisition deal between FDJ and ZEturf.
