According to reports William Hill and Amaya have stopped merger talks.
The British company and its Canadian competitor Amaya, known as the owners of the biggest poker site on the market, Poker Stars, have ended talks over a potential $5.6 billion merger.
William Hill major shareholders decided against further pursue discussions with Amaya. “After canvassing views from a number of William Hill’s major shareholders, the board has decided that it will not pursue discussions with Amaya. Accordingly, the board has informed Amaya that it is withdrawing from discussions and wishes Amaya well for the future.”
The two competitors have different strategic priorities. Either way William Hill said it would “continue to consider strategic alternatives where they have the potential to create shareholder value”. Earlier this year, William Hill already rejected offers from the casino operator 888 Holdings.
Amaya reacted on the reports with Divyesh Gadhia, the chairman of the company, saying: “Together with our financial advisers, we evaluated a wide range of strategic alternatives to maximise shareholder value and have concluded that remaining an independent company is in the best interest of Amaya’s shareholders at this time.”