Aussie Bookmaker CrownBet Caught In Merger Triangle With Paddy Power Betfair, William Hill

Australian bookmaker CrownBet was "caught in the middle of a merger love triangle" with U.K. firms William Hill and Paddy Power Betfair as the "spate of consolidation deals in the gambling sector saw the two bookies fighting for a suitor," according to Tom Rees of the London TELEGRAPH. Just hours after William Hill confirmed it was in talks over merging its Australian subsidiary with CrownBet, reports surfaced that rival Paddy Power "was also negotiating with the Melbourne-based bookie over tieing up a deal." Deal-making among betting firms has "transformed the industry in recent years" but GVC's takeover attempt of Ladbrokes Coral was "recently shelved by the uncertainty created" by the upcoming conclusion of the U.K. government's "review into the betting sector" (TELEGRAPH, 11/24).