An article on Wigantoday.net now seems to suggest there’s a fifth bidder in the game for the Wigan-based company. Betfred’s finance director Barry Nicholson said: “If what the government is looking for is an experienced operator which knows the Tote estate and its customer base well and where there is an obvious cultural and geographic fit, then we will be able to make an excellent case both to racing and to government. Whilst we are both based in the North West, there is almost no local overlap of the estate, integration of the two businesses could be done with minimal disruption. We would be a natural partner for the Tote and for racing.”
This was after Ian Penrose, of Sportech, had already commented that: “We will take a look at it. Conceptually, it would make a lot of sense for us as we are one of the largest tote operators and system providers in the world.”
A deadline of 10 December has been set for anyone who wants to bid for the Tote, valued at approximately £200m.