Sazka gains EC competition clearance

Sazka’s bid to assume joint control of Casinos Austria has secured European Commission approval.

Sazka agreed a deal in March with Austrian state-owned holding company ÖBAG for joint control of Casinos Austria, having increased its shareholding in the business to over 50 per cent through the acquisition of the stake held by Novomatic.

This prompted an investigation by the European Commission (EC) under EU Merger Regulations, which has now concluded that the joint control agreement between Sazka and ÖBAG is unlikely to affect competition in the Austrian gambling market.