ZEAL shareholders back Lotto24 deal

Despite Lottoland’s best efforts, 60 percent of Zeal Network SE shareholders approved the preconditions for the planned takeover of Lotto24 AG in a general meeting on Friday.

Dr Helmut Becker, CEO, ZEAL, said: “Our plan to reunite ZEAL and Lotto24 offers a fantastic opportunity for sustainable growth and creates significant value – for shareholders of both companies, customers and the German Federal States and their lottery beneficiaries.

“We are pleased that ZEAL’s shareholders share our vision and today approved the important preconditions which now enable us to make our offer for Lotto24.

“We look forward to launching our offer to Lotto24 shareholders shortly and to bringing our organisations together. The combination of ZEAL and Lotto24 will create the leading private digital lottery broker in Germany, setting us up for strong growth in Germany and internationally.”

In addition, shareholders voted to waive the requirement on Günther Group (which will own more than 30 percent of the combined group after completion) to make a full takeover offer for ZEAL.

Shareholders voted 51 percent in favour of the waiver. Günther Group were not able to vote on this particular resolution.