Ladbrokes and Coral in the casino news

In the general casino news it is mergers and acquisitions time again with Ladbrokes and Coral trying to merge but this is likely to run up against problems with the CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) in the UK. It has been known for some that the online casino business and other online gambling has been taking off with the likes of Betfair recently stating that some 93% of their increase in business had come from online betting and Betfair does not operate any online casinos. The strange thing about this story is that Ladbrokes tried to take over Coral some 17 years ago but in those days it was all about betting shops on the high street. Even today it is the number of shops that will interest the CMA but it is the online business that interests Coral and Ladbrokes. In terms of shops in the UK Ladbrokes is reported to have around 2200 and Coral around 1800 which together accounts for about 45% of all UK shops which according to some casino news reports might have to reduce by some 1300 if the merger is to be approved. This is all conjecture at this stage as the CNA has not yet been contacted. The companies may well be willing to close that number of shops as it is the online business which they are interested in. It is thought that the digital business of Coral is an attractive way for Ladbrokes to update the online offering. Both companies have online casinos but Ladbrokes casino is much more established and well known particularly in Irish casino circles and of course both have online sports gambling but it seems that Coral have been more active in the digital market particularly as concerns mobile phone betting. The outcome will be interesting.