Shareholders Vote Against Consortium Binding Agreement After Gopher Raises Price by $80m in All Cash Offer, Which Represents a Significant Premium to the Consortium Deal
18.8.2021 19:20:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
Finalto S.P.V. Ltd, the consortium as described previously and below (together the "Consortium"), today announces that following the Playtech plc (“Playtech”) General Meeting held today the Share Purchase Agreement for Finalto Group (“Finalto”) has been terminated. However, the Consortium has agreed to Playtech’s request to remain together for a further 30 days, thereby enabling Playtech to negotiate with Gopher Investments (“Gopher”) or any other buyer and make an informed recommendation to shareholders.
Gopher has stated publically that it is “prepared to perform only limited due diligence, anticipated to take no more than 3 weeks, before seeking to enter into a fully binding offer for Finalto” and will pay $250m plus a further $10m break fee1, so Playtech will have more than enough time to ascertain whether Gopher’s interest is indeed genuine.
If Playtech has not managed to enter into a fully binding agreement with Gopher within the next 3 weeks, it will be clear that Gopher’s interest is not genuine and the only credible transaction capable of concluding in the near term would be to the Consortium, which has already been recommended by Playtech multiple times.
The Consortium firmly believes that the Consortium Deal, negotiated after an onerous 18-month process led by UBS, involving extensive regulatory, financial and tax diligence, represents the only transaction capable of withstanding regulatory scrutiny and being concluded in the near term without material disruption and damage to the Finalto business.
The Consortium was disappointed that shareholders did not vote in favor of its deal at the General Meeting, however, the Consortium does understand the predicament faced by shareholders and certain parties, notably advisory firms Institutional Shareholder Services (“ISS”) and Glass Lewis, when assessing the situation. This was particularly the case given Gopher’s publications of what the Consortium believe to be misleading statements and indeed Playtech was compelled to issue corrections2 to Gopher’s false information.
With regard to ISS and Glass Lewis, the Consortium has been disappointed that despite multiple requests made to meet independently with the advisory firms to avail them of important information, they refused to do so. The Consortium is confident that a deal will not be forthcoming within the three weeks Gopher claims it will take and when this becomes clear, the Consortium will welcome the opportunity to engage directly with ISS and Glass Lewis in a constructive manner, which can only benefit Playtech shareholders. Playtech’s only option to sell Finalto within the next year will be to the Consortium, which Playtech has repeatedly recommended. In Playtech’s words, it has been an “elongated and thorough process”, and the Consortium was selected taking into account not just the price, but also its “ability to complete the transaction (particularly in light of the Finalto Business’ regulated status in multiple global jurisdictions).”
The Consortium’s previous announcements are available here (7 July 2021), here (9 July 2021) and here (2 August 2021)
-ENDS-
About the Consortium
The Consortium is a company incorporated in Israel, established for the purpose of acquiring the Finalto Business. The Consortium is being funded by a group consisting of Barinboim Group, Leumi Partners Limited and Menora Mivtachim Group and by senior secured debt financing from The Phoenix Insurance Company Limited and certain of its affiliates. The Consortium will be supported by key members of the Finalto Business' management team that will transfer with the Finalto Business, including Ron Hoffman (Chief Executive Officer of the Finalto Business) and Liron Greenbaum (Chief Operations Officer of the Finalto Business).
Barinboim Group is a private equity and venture capital firm based in Tel Aviv. Barinboim Group invests in companies operating in the media sectors.
Leumi Partners Limited is the merchant and investment banking arm of Bank Leumi (TASE: LUMI), one of the two largest banking groups in Israel. Leumi Partners Limited is based in Tel Aviv and offers direct equity investment in sectors such as technology media and telecom, consumer & retail, and healthcare. Leumi Partners Limited's line of business includes conducting investments and providing services such as underwriting, financial analysis and research, strategic advice, mergers & acquisitions, and raising equity and debt.
Menora Mivtachim Group is one of Israel's five largest insurance & finance groups. The group specializes in asset management, manages the largest pension fund in Israel - and is the largest General Insurer in Israel and the market leader in Motor Insurance sector. The group operates through its subsidiaries, in all sectors of Life Insurance, Long/Mid/Short -Term Savings, General Insurance and Health Insurance. In addition, the group is active in the capital markets and finance sectors, including, Financial Portfolio Management, Underwriting and worldwide real estate investments.
2 4 August 2021, Response to Gopher press release of 3 August 2021, http://playtech-ir.production.investis.com/regulatory-news.aspx
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210818005628/en/
Contact information
For further information:
Investors:
Investor Update
Tony Quinn
+44 (0)7790 485 935
tquinn@investor-update.com
Patrick Mitchell
+44 (0)7974 079 785
pmitchell@investor-update.com
Media:
Kepler Communications
Charlotte Balbirnie
+44 (0)7989 528421
cbalbirnie@keplercomms.com
Caroline Villiers
+44 (0)7808 585184
cvilliers@keplercomms.com
The Consortium:
Ishai Drori
finalto@bgroup.co.il
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Stonebranch Recognized as a Representative Vendor in the 2026 Gartner ® Market Guide for Infrastructure Automation and Orchestration Tools15.7.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release
Stonebranch, a leading provider of service orchestration and automation solutions, today announced it has been recognized as a Representative Vendor in the 2026 Gartner Market Guide for Infrastructure Automation and Orchestration (IA&O) Tools.* “Stonebranch is honored to be recognized in Gartner’s 2026 Market Guide for IA&O Tools,” said Giuseppe Damiani, Stonebranch CEO. “AI, platform engineering, and hybrid infrastructure are changing how organizations operate, and we’re excited to help our customers navigate that shift with a unified platform for intelligent orchestration.” The 2026 Market Guide reflects an evolution in the IA&O market, emphasizing infrastructure orchestration as a foundational capability for platform engineering, AI infrastructure, and modern hybrid IT operations. Gartner also notes that organizations are increasingly adopting platforms that provide low-code interfaces, AI capabilities, and AI agents to accelerate automation adoption and improve operational efficien
Viz.ai to Support the MINUTE Trial, a Landmark Multicenter Study Evaluating the SCUBA Technique for the Treatment of Intracerebral Hemorrhage15.7.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release
Viz.ai, the leader in AI-powered disease detection and intelligent care coordination, today announced its support for the Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery Trial for Ultra-early Treatment (MINUTE) Trial, a prospective, multicenter, randomized study evaluating whether the SCUBA technique, an endoscopic, catheter-based approach for ultra-early evacuation of basal ganglia intracerebral hemorrhage (BGH), is a promising alternative to standard medical management to potentially improve functional patient outcomes. The study aims to initiate both randomization and surgical intervention within 120 minutes of key clinical time points, reflecting the urgent nature of intracerebral hemorrhage care. Participating sites will have the ability to leverage the Viz Neuro Suite platform, including Viz ICH and Viz ICH Plus, to support rapid identification, triage, and care coordination for potentially eligible patients across participating centers. Viz Neuro Suite combines AI-powered imaging analysis with
Accertify's Q2 Global Air Travel Fraud Report Finds Fraud Pressure Intensifying Across Middle East and Africa15.7.2026 14:00:00 EEST | Press release
Accertify, a leading fraud decisioning provider whose Predictive Yes Platform helps merchants say yes to more good customers, more revenue, and more growth, today announced the release of its Global Air Travel Fraud Report: Q2 2026, a quarterly analysis examining how fraud pressure varies across global airline markets based on departure city at time of booking. Based on analysis of 132.9 million airline booking transactions processed between April and June 2026, the report evaluates prevented fraud rates across 537 departure cities that each processed at least 10,000 transactions during the quarter, providing airlines with a data-driven view of where Accertify's Predictive Yes platform intervened most frequently at booking. The Q2 findings reveal that fraud pressure continues to vary significantly by market, with the most notable shift occurring across the Middle East and Africa. The region's average prevented fraud rate more than doubled quarter over quarter, from 0.95% to 2.03% — the
Forrester’s 2027 Budget Planning Guides: After A Year Of Caution, Business And Tech Leaders Are Ready To Invest Again15.7.2026 12:00:00 EEST | Press release
According to Forrester’s (Nasdaq: FORR) 2027 Budget Planning Guides, business and technology leaders are approaching 2027 with renewed confidence as they increasingly accept volatility as a permanent feature of the business environment. After a year of more cautious spending, more than 80% of leaders expect their budgets to increase over the next 12 months, with as many as one-quarter anticipating growth of 10% or more. But planning in the age of AI demands more than bigger budgets: Increasing investment without modernizing operating models, strengthening data foundations, and improving AI readiness will only accelerate fragmented data, duplicated work, and technical debt. To realize AI’s full potential, leaders must rethink their strategies and prioritize investments in operational foundations, governance, and experimentation that drive tangible outcomes. This year, optimism is widespread across functions: 82% of technology decision-makers and 91% of marketers expect budget increases
Post-Quantum’s Algorithm - Classic McEliece - Achieves Global ISO Standardization to Protect the World From Quantum Cyber Attack15.7.2026 11:00:00 EEST | Press release
It’s proven that today’s encryption is vulnerable to attack by a sufficiently mature quantum computer running Shor’s algorithm - a catastrophic event commonly known as Q-Day. Even before such a cryptographically relevant quantum computer emerges it is known that adversaries are stealing encrypted data now, which can be decrypted later - also known as Harvest Now, Decrypt Later (HNDL). Google’s recent use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to optimise Shor’s algorithm reduces the number of physical qubits required to break today’s encryption, therefore shortening the timeline to Q-Day. This has led prominent experts to estimate today’s encryption may be broken as-soon-as the next three years. It’s against this backdrop that the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) has included the Classic McEliece algorithm as part of its standard for Asymmetric Ciphers (ISO/IEC 18033-2). Organisations from ISO’s 177 member states can now upgrade to Classic McEliece using an international s
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom