Flutter To Purchase 5% FanDuel Stake Back From Boyd Gaming

Flutter Entertainment PLC is buying back the last 5% of FanDuel it doesn't currently own from the holder of that sliver, brick-and-mortar gambling establishment operator Boyd Gaming Corp.


- Flutter Entertainment is purchasing the staying 5% of FanDuel from Boyd Gaming for around $2 billion, going for complete ownership of the leading U.S. online sportsbook.
- The deal suggests a $35 billion valuation for FanDuel, highlighting its market dominance over rivals like DraftKings and highlighting Flutter's strategic concentrate on U.S. operations.


The news was first reported on X by Mark Kleinman, business editor at Sky News.


Las Vegas-based Boyd and Flutter then announced the news formally, with Boyd stating it entered into a "definitive contract" to sell its 5% stake in FanDuel to Flutter for $1.755 billion in cash.


The transaction would provide Flutter total ownership of FanDuel, at least for the time being (more on that listed below).


Boyd included that the deal is expected to close in the 3rd quarter of 2025, pending regulatory approvals. The casino operator said it prepares to use the net earnings of the transaction to reduce its financial obligation.


"This deal opens the tremendous unrealized worth that our investment in FanDuel has actually produced for our Company," stated Keith Smith, president and ceo of Boyd, in a news release. "As an outcome, we are in a substantially more powerful monetary position to continue executing our strategy of purchasing our homes, pursuing development chances, returning capital to our shareholders, and preserving a strong balance sheet."


Exclusive: Flutter Entertainment, the group behind Paddy Power and Betfair, is in innovative speak to purchase an additional 5pc stake in FanDuel, the US-based sports betting business, from Boyd Gaming in a deal anticipated to be worth near $2bn. An agreement could be revealed this week.


The worth of the 5% stake suggests that FanDuel, the greatest online betting websites in the United States, could be worth around $35 billion. Flutter said the "appealing suggested appraisal" was around $31 billion.


Whatever the evaluation, it's a good bit more than the present, approximately $22 billion market capitalization of FanDuel's chief rival, DraftKings. That gap could, to name a few things, speak to the Flutter subsidiary's stronger position in the U.S. market.


"The partnership between Boyd and FanDuel has been an impressive success for both companies," Smith said in journalism release. "FanDuel has actually become the country's clear leader in online sports-betting, while Boyd has been able to take advantage of this partnership to profitably take part in the quick development of sports wagering throughout the country."


Boyd got its 5% stake in FanDuel in 2018 as part of a collaboration to pursue sports betting and iGaming opportunities in the U.S. Boyd also acts as a "market gain access to" vehicle for FanDuel in particular states, such as Indiana, where online sports wagering operators require ties to a brick-and-mortar center.


As part of Thursday's statement, Boyd stated it and FanDuel would scrap their existing market-access offers and participate in new ones that go through 20238.


"The contracts will also supply Boyd with a repaired cost per state from FanDuel's mobile sports-betting operations in Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana and Pennsylvania, as well as FanDuel's online casino operations in Pennsylvania, upon the close of this deal," the press release added. "FanDuel will also continue to run Boyd's retail sportsbooks beyond Nevada through mid-2026, after which time Boyd will assume obligation for these operations."


Boyd stated the brand-new market-access arrangements would indicate that its online betting sector will generate $50 million to $55 million in running earnings and changed EBITDAR this year, and after that around $30 million for 2026.


Fox in the FanDuel house


Flutter, on the other hand, trumpeted that Thursday's deal (spent for with extra debt) will give it 100% ownership of FanDuel, "the premier possession in the US sports betting and iGaming market."


Furthermore, Flutter said the brand-new market-access offers would contribute annual operating cost savings of around $65 million.


"The cost savings are expected to be produced from July 1, 2025, and even more underpin Flutter's confidence in the long-lasting success profile of its US organization, showing the capability to help alleviate both recent and future tax increases," the company added.


Those "current and future tax boosts" consist of Illinois adding a per-bet tax for sportsbook operators and New Jersey upping its levy on online betting revenue.


Still, with FanDuel's strong presence in the country, Flutter continues to lean into its U.S. operations. The business's "international functional headquarters" remain in New York and its shares are now noted on the New York Stock Exchange.


"Our acquisition of FanDuel in 2018 is one of the most transformational occasions in our Group's history, with its natural competitive benefits combined with access to Flutter Edge capabilities driving remarkable development to become the well-established and clear leader in US online sports wagering and iGaming," Flutter CEO Peter in a press release. "I am really delighted to drive future value for our shareholders by increasing our ownership of FanDuel to 100%. Boyd have been fantastic partners for FanDuel, and we are pleased to be extending our important strategic collaboration through to 2038."


Nevertheless, Flutter has another FanDuel ownership concern hanging over its head.


TV business Fox Corp. continues to hold a choice to purchase 18.6% of FanDuel at a cost the 2 business fought over. Following arbitration, the rate of the 18.6% stake is now approximately $4.3 billion, and the option to purchase expires in Dec.

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