Irish online casino news and Ladbrokes

When it comes to choosing an online casino many Irish casino games players tend to stick with a brand name they know well, namely Paddy Power or Ladbrokes, because both of these online casino operators have a substantial presence on our high streets. Stock market investors with an interest in online casino and online sports betting companies will now however that Ladbrokes have fallen behind many of their rivals over recent years and have struggled to come to terms with the rise of digital technology and online gambling, so this week’s Irish casino news will be most welcome. Just three months into his tenure as chief executive of Ladbrokes, Jim Mullen appears to have hit the ground running and propelled Ladbrokes back into the headlines, this time for all the right reasons. Having already made clear how he intends to sort out the loss making Irish betting shop estate, it now appears that he has also been in merger talks with Gala Coral, the news of which immediately added 15 % to the share price. It is not the first time that Ladbrokes have tried to acquire the Coral business of course, having failed to persuade the Monopolies and Mergers Commission to sanction a deal in 1998, but many believe the gambling market has sufficiently changed since then to make a deal acceptable. The problem will lie in the estimated 4,000 betting shops the merged company would have, and neither Ladbrokes nor Gala Coral are under any illusions that a deal will be easy or quick. Nevertheless analysts and investors clearly believe that Jim Mullen may well make it happen and finally take Ladbrokes back among the leading online casino and sports betting operators. Certainly such a merger would help Ladbrokes get a much better foothold in the digital gambling field but there is a long way to go before we as their casino games playing customers see any difference.