Germany’s Gauselmann Group is investing in Belgium’s leading sports betting provider, BetCenter, in a new joint venture.
The move, says the Belgian company, will enable it to achieve stronger and faster growth in its home market in both online and bricks-and-mortar locations.
The 50 per cent stake in BetCenter is being taken by Gauselmann’s Merkur Sportwetten, which will be able to bring to Belgium its considerable experience in the sports betting business. It follows a period of co-operation between the two companies for some time.
“We are extremely happy to further deepen our very successful cooperation with BetCenter. BetCenter is a quality leader in the Belgian sports betting market that perfectly complements Gauselmann's international business development strategy. The combination of BetCenter's local market expertise and the resources of the Merkur Sportwetten network will ideally position our partnership for further growth,” said Niko Steinkrauß, managing director of Merkur Sportwetten.
In 2016 BetCenter moved its betting service over to the Gauselmann Group’s Cashpoint multi-channel product platform. The subsequent improvement in growth by over 30 per cent has led to the new co-operation.
Seydi Tekin, CEO and managing director of BetCenter, points to the new growth opportunities: “This joint venture strengthens our company not only by allowing us to draw on the experience of one of Europe’s leading sports betting specialists. It safeguards our strength to enable us to implement our growth and acquisition plans faster. A long-term vision and a strict ethical business strategy are our most important assets. This represents an important milestone in our development.”
