The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has unconditionally cleared the proposed merger between The Stars Group and Flutter Entertainment.
The £10bn merger was the subject of a CMA probe at the start of February, but the findings were that intense competition for customers from major rivals including William Hill and Bet365 would mean that they would not be disadvantaged in terms of receiving less favourable gaming conditions.
The Stars Group owns Sky Betting and Gaming, while Flutter is the owner of Paddy Power.
The aim is that the merger can now be completed in the second quarter of this year, with projected synergies worth £140m.
Flutter’s chief executive Peter Jackson said: "This morning's announcement from the CMA marks a further important milestone in the process towards completion of our proposed combination with The Stars Group.
“We continue to work with the remaining international regulatory authorities to obtain the last of the outstanding approvals. Separately last week we published the necessary documentation ahead of the shareholder votes in April and we continue to make good progress in our post-completion planning."
