There will not be a takeover of Israeli owned online gambling company 888 Holdings by William Hill, the biggest gambling outfit in the U.K., because a major 888 shareholder rejected the offered price of $1.07.
William Hill’s offered 200 pence a share for 888, but a “significant difference of opinion” killed the talks, 888 said in a statement.
Will you offer us a hand? Every gift, regardless of size, fuels our future.
Your critical contribution enables us to maintain our independence from shareholders or wealthy owners, allowing us to keep up reporting without bias. It means we can continue to make Jewish Business News available to everyone.
You can support us for as little as $1 via PayPal at [email protected].
Thank you.
The news of William Hill’s interest in the purchase caused 888 shares to rise more than 20%.
“Due to a significant difference of opinion on value with a key stakeholder, it has not been possible to reach agreement on the terms of a possible offer and the board of the company has agreed with William Hill to terminate discussions, ” 888 announced.
H888 was founded by the Ben-Yitzhak and Shaked families. The Shaked piece is 48.6 per cent, split between Avi Shaked and his late brother’s offspring. The Ben-Yitzhak family own an estimated 10.5 per cent.
It was the Shaked side which reportedly objected to William Hill’s offered price. They insisted, according to an earlier report, on a price that hovered around $1.3 billion.