SAZKA Group Becomes the Majority Shareholder of OPAP
Prague, 31 January 2017 – The regulatory agencies of Greece and Cyprus have approved the transfer of shares of EMMA DELTA MANAGEMENT LTD to the SAZKA Group holding. The SAZKA Group is now the EMMA Delta fund's controlling shareholder and, consequently, holds an indirect 33% share in the Greek lottery company OPAP.
In August of last year, when a joint venture was established by KKCG and EMMA CAPITAL in the framework of the SAZKA Group, SAZKA Group released the information that the final completion of the transaction in Greece was conditional on one last step: the transfer of 67% of shares held by EMMA DELTA MANAGEMENT LTD (the company that controls the investment fund EMMA DELTA). The transfer necessitated the approval of the regulatory agencies of Greece and Cyprus. Both agencies approved the transaction at the end of January 2017, paving the way for a transfer of the shares in question to the SAZKA Group. Following the transaction, the SAZKA Group now controls the EMMA DELTA fund, and, consequently, holds an indirect 33% share in the Greek lottery company OPAP.
According to Member of the SAZKA Group's Board of Directors Pavel Horák, the transaction is another step in the fulfillment of the holding's long-term expansion strategy.
SAZKA Group
SAZKA Group is one of Europe’s largest lottery and gaming operators. The aggregate annual amount of bets placed with companies in which the SAZKA Group holds an ownership interest are in excess of EUR 15 billion and the aggregate EBITDA amounts to over EUR 850 million. SAZKA Group currently holds interests in the Greek lottery OPAP (33%), Italy’s LOTTOITALIA (32,5%) and the Sazka lottery (100%) in the Czech Republic, as well as an 11.34% stake in Casinos Austria AG and 11.56% in Österreichische Lotterien GmbH.
Shareholders of SAZKA Group are investment companies KKCG (75% shareholding) and EMMA Capital (25% shareholding), who share an equal managerial control of the SAZKA Group. The international and business know-how of the two groups is bundled in SAZKA Group: expertise in long-term strategic management, industry focus, successful consolidation and sustainable development of companies. Particularly in the entertainment and gaming sectors - with strong regulatory, competition or consumer protection frameworks - acquisition and management of domestic and international participations has been handled with utmost professionalism.
KKCG
KKCG is an international investment group that manages assets worth over EUR 2.0 billion and employs over 2,500 people. KKCG's long-term strategy targets oil and gas production, lotteries and entertainment, tourism, and new technologies via the Springtide Ventures fund. KKCG holds shares in more than 25 companies, including the MND Group, SAZKA Group, VÍTKOVICE, the FISCHER Travel Group, and others. KKCG operates in 10 countries worldwide. Karel Komarek is the founder of the KKCG Group.
EMMA Capital
EMMA CAPITAL is an investment group established in 2012 at the initiative of its majority shareholder Jiří Šmejc. EMMA CAPITAL specializes in strategic investments, where it mainly focuses on the retail business. The usual strategy followed by companies associated under EMMA CAPITAL is becoming actively involved in the management of companies in which the group invests. EMMA CAPITAL currently operates in the Czech Republic, Greece, Romania, Russia, Austria, Italy and Slovakia. In addition, EMMA CAPITAL owns an 11.37% stake in the Home Credit Group, one of the largest providers of consumer loans in the world.
Media Contact:
Dana Dvořáková
Corporate Communication Director, KKCG, a.s.
Vinohradská 230, Prague 10
M: +420 602 372 834
T: +420 225 010 399
E: [email protected]
Pavel Zuna
Head of Investor & Public Relations,
Emerging Markets Capital, a.s.
Thakurova 531/4
Prague 6
T: +420 226 291 600
E: [email protected]
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