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Bally’s Intralot S.A Agrees to Acquire evoke plc for £243.1 Million

Back in April, evoke plc, the group behind William Hill and 888, confirmed that they were in talks with Bally’s Intralot over a possible 50 pence per share deal (roughly £225 million at the time).

2 minutes read
Samuel Barclay
Samuel Barclay
Sports Betting Writer
Chad Nagel
Sports Betting & Casino Editor

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Bally’s Intralot

Bally’s Intralot

Fast forward around two months, and Bally’s Intralot has agreed they’ll be acquiring evoke plc in an all-share deal for 52 pence per share (about £243.1 million). [1]

The deal itself will be implemented through a scheme of arrangement under Gibraltar company law. This is where evoke is incorporated, and the evoke board, advised by Morgan Stanley and Rothschild & Co, has recommended the deal for the evoke shareholders. [1]

Why is Evoke Selling? 

The reason for the sale comes from the Remote Gaming Duty changes. Back in November 2025, the UK government confirmed that they’ll be changing this Duty from 21% to 40%. They also increased online betting duty from 15% to 25%. [1].

evoke’s team estimated that these changes would add around £125-135 million extra in annual duty costs. To put that into perspective, that’s the equivalent to 37% of its FY2025 EBITDA [1].

That immense pressure, combined with evoke’s already highly leveraged balance sheet and up-and-coming 2028 refinancing, quickly pushed the board to make the decision for a full sale [1]. 

Good Purchase from Bally’s Intralot? 

Despite the tax pressure from the UK government, UKGC operator data shows a gross gambling yield growth of 7% YoY. [2]. Therefore, the UK market is still growing considerably. Operators will just need to strategise how they’ll overcome this Remote Gaming Duty increase of 19 points.

Bally’s Intralot acquiring evoke provides them with even more market share in this forever-increasing market. Bally’s Intralot already own some of the largest names in the industry, like Jackpotjoy, Virgin Games, and more, buying evoke adds arguably bigger names to their list, like William Hill, 888casino, and Mr Green.

When considering these factors, it looks promising for Bally’s Intralot. They’ll own a significant market share of a rising market. However, the question is whether they’ll be able to navigate the increasing taxes on gambling.

Samuel Barclay
Samuel BarclaySports Betting Writer

Sam is a British content writer who’s now living in the Netherlands. He has 5+ years of experience producing SEO content for casino and sports bettors in Tier-1 markets. Working on campaigns for brands like Buzz Bingo, Paddy Power, Betfred, and Sun Bingo, he’s written 1M+ words of content spanning casino reviews, sportsbook reviews, slot guides, betting strategies, and industry news.

References

  1. 1.Recommended All-Share Acquisition of evoke plc by Bally's Intralot S.A. - Bally's Intralot S.A. / evoke plc. 5 June 2026.. Accessed June 10, 2026
  2. 2.Market overview - operator data to March 2026. - Gambling Commission. 21 May 2026.. Accessed June 10, 2026

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