Winner Group CIRSA Takes Over Sportium
Colombia’s biggest gaming operator, Winner Group CIRSA, has announced it will acquire Sportium Colombia (Sportium.com.co) in a significant step for its sports betting and online gaming pursuits. Grupo CIRSA, which is owned by investor Blackstone, will now enjoy not only Colombia’s largest chain of brick-and-mortar casinos but also a thriving online presence in the South American country.
Winner Group CIRSA has acquired sports betting operator Sportium Columbia in iGaming expansion. ©andresmmartinez/Pixabay
A Drawn-Out Acquisition Deal
Winner Group CIRSA has been operating in Colombia since 1997, and has an excellent track record in the casino industry with a total of 72 gambling venues, including 24 fully-fledged casinos.
The company has continued to grow and see impressive profit in the last years, prompting an interest in expanding its sports betting ventures. Sports betting, particularly in Latin America, has been a big money maker for companies in the industry, as Swedish operator Betsson recently stated in its record-breaking Q2 returns.
Winner Group’s interest in Sportium is not new. The company sought to acquire Sportium as its flagship sportsbook in 2018, but a legal issue prevented the deal. This was because Sportium Colombia was a joint operation with Ladbrokes at the time.
This changed in 2019 when Ladbrokes was forced to sell its share of the company, after it was taken over by GVC Holdings — a Spanish market Sportium competitor. Now, CIRSA and Sportium can finally make things official in a merger supported by a $10 million investment, which will go towards expanding online as well as live casino offerings.
What this takeover means for CIRSA, Sportium and Colombia’s gambling industry
Though Winner Group has done quite well with its on-the-ground operations, it is keen to expand its digital offerings as the casino market and customer demands change. This has been especially true in the last year and a half due to the coronavirus pandemic, which saw Colombian casinos close for many months in 2020.
Thankfully, despite the strains the lockdown put on the economy, Colombia has seen positives in gaming during this time. It was one of few Latin American countries with a fully regulated and legalized iGaming sector, which made the online transition much smoother. As a result, many other iGaming operators moved into Colombia to take advantage of online gaming opportunities in 2020 and 2021.
Now Winner Group is expanded to not only bring additional possibilities to their existing customers, but also to reach new fans, particularly around sports betting.
In an official statement, Juan Carlos Gómez Roa, Winner Group CIRSA’s Country Manager, explained that in today’s gaming climate, companies in the industry must continue to find new ways to increase their offerings. This move is part of their efforts to bring more quality entertainment to Colombia, and to become a bigger distributor of gaming activities overall.
Sportium’s Country Manager, Patrick Sewards added that the acquisition by Winner Group helps Sportium to have a more visible presence in Colombia as well, since the company is already so well-established there. He sees the deal as a chance for Sportium to benefit from Winner Group’s brick-and-mortar holdings, while Winner Group benefits from Sportium’s online expertise.
Both men also mentioned the importance of Colombian fans in this equation. Sewards emphasized offering the best to fans and upholding their interests in gaming. Gómez Roa stated strongly that the company is dedicated to promoting safe and responsible gaming in Colombia, being one of the only companies to develop a communication and prevention campaign specifically around gambling limits.
