Intralot shareholders have backed Bally's acquisition of British operator evoke, owner of William Hill and 888. At the Athens AGM, 99.585% voted in favour of the £243.1 million ($324.7 million) takeover. Evoke shareholders had already approved the deal, with 99.63% voting yes.
Bally's Intralot is offering 52 pence per share for evoke, which trades on the London Stock Exchange. The deal is expected to close in Q4 2026 or Q1 2027, pending court approval of the merger scheme and regulatory clearances. Once complete, evoke will delist from the LSE.
Debt remains the central issue. Evoke carried £1.89 billion ($2.5 billion) of debt in the first half of 2026; Bally's Intralot held more than £1 billion ($1.34 billion) in net debt over the same period. Bally's Corporation, which owns 58% of Bally's Intralot, also carries significant obligations, raising questions about its ability to continue operating. CEO Robeson Reeves and the Bally's Intralot management say the debt will not obstruct the combined group's plans.
Evoke began seeking a buyer in December 2025 after the UK government announced a tax increase on online gambling — Remote Gaming Duty rose from 21% to 40% on 1 April 2026. The move hurt financial performance; the company closed 200 William Hill retail locations. Evoke is part of the FTSE SmallCap and FTSE All-Share indices. It was removed from the FTSE 250 in 2023 when it was still called 888 Holdings. The rebrand to evoke took place in 2024.
Bally's Intralot was formed in 2025 when Bally's Corporation and Intralot merged — Intralot acquired Bally's International Interactive from Bally's Corporation.
