Austrian-based Novomatic is expanding its retail casino portfolio in France with an acquisition that will bring 11 casinos into the fold.
Novomatic announced it is acquiring the French casino group Vikings Casino SAS pending regulatory approval. The terms of the deal were not disclosed in the announcement.
The Vikings Casino portfolio includes a number of casinos along the Gold Coast of France, ranging in size from 60-150 slot machines.
“With the acquisition of Vikings Casinos, we are consistently pursuing our international growth strategy and strengthening our position as a leading provider in the European gaming market. With this step, we have successfully laid the foundation for further sustainable growth in France” said Executive Board Member of NOVOMATIC AG Stefan Krenn.
The acquisition comes just weeks after Novomatic said it will be selling the ADMIRAL Group in Austria to Tipico. Even though Austria is the company’s home turf, they said the sale opened up opportunities to expand into international growth markets. For Tipico, it was an opportunity to strengthen their already dominant position in the German-speaking market.
“The acquisition by NOVOMATIC opens up new opportunities for growth and further development. We are confident that the integration into such an experienced and successful company as NOVOMATIC will help us to further strengthen our position on the French market. This change will enable us to work even more efficiently and benefit from the resources and expertise of the new owner” added CEO of Vikings Casinos SAS Luc Le Borgne.
As Novomatic positions itself for future growth opportunities, it has changed up leadership of its American division as well. Former Novomativc Americas CEO Alexander Merwald stepped down last month, passing the torch the the team of Sabine Stoppel and Jakob Rothwangl. Merwald will remain with Novomatic, focusing on his CEO role in South Africa.
