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Shares in Ladbrokes and Coral owner Entain PLC (LSE:ENT) and Grosvenor casino owner Rank Group PLC (LSE:RNK) fell after a report that slot machine shops and casinos could face a £460 million tax rise under a future Labour government led by Andy Burnham. According to the Guardian, the Social Market Foundation has proposed doubling machine games duty from 20% to 40% on higher-stakes Category B machines, which allow £2 spins every 2.5 seconds.
Ladbrokes owner Entain PLC (LSE:ENT) has taken the first step towards exiting its Central European business, agreeing to offload a 20% stake for £366 million in a deal that analysts said highlights the discount at which the gambling group trades. The FTSE 100 group, which currently owns 62.5% of Entain CEE, is selling the stake to joint venture partner EMMA Capital, reducing its holding to 47.5%.
Ladbrokes owner Entain said on Thursday it has agreed to the first step in a phased exit from its Central and Eastern Europe business, selling a 20% stake to partner EMMA Capital for about €425 million ($481.82 million) to cut debt.
The FTSE 100 leisure sector is facing a quiet drain that rarely shows up in the headline numbers. London-listed giants such as Entain and Flutter Entertainment carry the full weight of UK compliance, yet a growing slice of British consumer spending is slipping toward operators that settle in Bitcoin and stablecoins and answer to no domestic regulator.
Ladbrokes-owner Entain has begun exploring options for its joint venture in Central and Eastern Europe, including a possible sale, three people familiar with the matter said.
Entain PLC (LSE:ENT) shares climbed 3.4% to 582p on Tuesday after Deutsche Bank flagged that a proposed acquisition of MGM Resorts by People Inc, the renamed IAC, could have positive read-across implications for the FTSE 100 gambling group. People Inc, chaired by media executive Barry Diller, has proposed a $48.30 per share cash offer for MGM Resorts International, the Las Vegas-based casino and hospitality giant.
Entain PLC (LSE:ENT) could return more than half its current market value to shareholders in the form of dividends and buybacks by the end of the decade, according to a note from Shore Capital that points to a sharp rise in cash generation. The owner of Ladbrokes, Coral, Foxy Bingo and a 50% share of BetMGM is forecast to deliver a “step-change in cash generation", analyst Greg Johnson said, with £500 million targeted annually from 2028, driven by profit growth, contributions from BetMGM and the unwind of its deferred prosecution agreement.
Entain PLC's (LSE:ENT) first-quarter trading was described by broker Shore Capital as “encouraging”, with its core online business offset by weaker sports results. The betting and gaming group reported net gaming revenue excluding the US up 3% in the three months to March, with volumes rising 8% but hit by “unfavourable sports results”.
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