Rumours were flying round the industry as to why the Sportingbet/Unibet merger had been called off by the Swedes. Was it true that the British tabloid paparazzi had been inundating the Swedish company to such an extent that they couldn’t take it anymore? Had Unibet foolishly agreed to it after a heavy session of gamblin’ drinkin’ and carryin’ on? Surely it’s either that or they realized that the potential for a catchy name wasn’t there?
Apparently, it’s neither of these and just the fact that the news was leaked to a newspaper. This was suspected all along, and in an interview with eGaming Review, Sportingbet chief executive Andy McIver seemed to confirm this was the case.
“The breakdown in talks with Unibet was very unfortunate and was due to a leak when talks were taking place followed by speculation in the press. Talks were at an incredibly early stage and they sadly broke down,” McIver said.
As far as the breakdown itself goes, the process was a very quick one. After the Sunday Times leak, Sportingbet and Unibet both released a statement Monday morning, before Tuesday saw Unibet call the merger off.
All along, the two companies have reiterated their plans to expand in the market so watch this space. Spurtingbet may be no more, but there’s plenty more in the marketplace to get excited about.
