Completion of Merger
Further to the announcement on 27 October 2016 of the publication of the Prospectus and the announcement on 31 October 2016 in relation to the Company's change of name, the Company is pleased to announce the completion of the merger of Ladbrokes with certain businesses of Gala Coral Group Limited ("Gala Coral"), including Coral Retail, Eurobet Retail and Gala Coral's online businesses (the "Merger").

With effect from 8.00 a.m. 1st Nov 2016:
· the listing of the Company's 1,050,455,117 Existing Ordinary Shares was cancelled (as a result of the Merger's classification as a reverse takeover under the Listing Rules of the UKLA);
· the Company's 1,050,455,117 Existing Ordinary Shares were readmitted to the premium listing segment of the Official List of the UKLA and to trading on the London Stock Exchange's main market for listed securities; and
· 866,518,803 Consideration Shares and 29,174,406 Playtech Shares were admitted to the premium listing segment of the Official List of the UKLA and to trading on the London Stock Exchange's main market for listed securities.

Commenting on the completion of the Merger, Ladbrokes Coral Chairman, John Kelly said:
"In uniting these two businesses we are bringing together some of the best known and admired brands in betting and gaming.

We believe that no other gambling business has such a strong heritage, with brands that enjoy such broad appeal and a presence that is woven into the fabric of the UK culture as well as overseas regulated markets.

Together, we have the opportunity to grow the business building on our scale, the digital opportunity we have in our markets, our international presence and through delivery of significant synergy savings.

We have a strong management team in place and are already well placed to set about the creation of a new business with a clear focus on delivering the opportunities the completion of the merger offers us."

Jim Mullen, Ladbrokes Coral Chief Executive, said:
"This is a historic day for the Company and one which marks the start of an exciting journey for the business. Both Ladbrokes and Gala Coral have demonstrated their ability to compete hard and win in increasingly competitive markets.

This will be the attitude of the management team going forward, to compete hard and set about quickly establishing the business while delivering the synergies as quickly as possible. We have a strong management team in place and have worked hard to secure the best talent from across both businesses and externally. We are all excited by the opportunities that lie ahead."

Or not

Same info appeared on CNBC this morning, so suspect it is correct.
Market unimpressed, but that may be just August holiday period.

StockMarketWire.com
Ladbrokes Coral's board has confirmed that it is in talks on a possible takeover by GVC Holdings.

Under the terms of the possible offer, Ladbrokes Coral shareholders would be entitled to 32.7p in cash and 0.141 ordinary GVC shares for each Ladbrokes Coral share, and a potential further value of up to 42.8p structured as a contingent value right (CVR).

The value of the CVR, which would be satisfied by the issue of loan notes by GVC, would be determined by reference to the outcome of the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport's current 'review of gaming machines and social responsibility measures' relating to the regulation of category B2 fixed-odds betting terminals and its estimated impact on the run-rate profitability of Ladbrokes Coral's UK business, after giving effect to any mitigations.

Based on the respective Ladbrokes Coral and GVC share prices as at the close of business on 6 Dec, the possible offer values Ladbrokes Coral at 160.9p per Ladbrokes Coral share, equating to a total equity value of c.£3.1bn, plus a CVR of up to 42.8p per Ladbrokes Coral share, equating to a total equity value of up to c.£3.9bn (including the maximum CVR).

The two boards said it was expected that the proposed offer would include a mix and match facility allowing Ladbrokes Coral shareholders the opportunity to elect to receive more cash or more new ordinary shares in GVC, subject to offsetting elections made by other Ladbrokes Coral shareholders, as the case may be. The CVR would not be included in the mix and match facility.

It is anticipated that Ladbrokes Coral shareholders would hold c.46.5% and GVC shareholders would hold c.53.5% of the issued and to be issued share capital of the enlarged group.

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Scheme of arrangement becomes Effective 28/03/18

Ladbrokes Coral and GVC are pleased to announce that the scheme of arrangement under Part 26 of the Companies Act 2006 (the "Scheme") in connection with the recommended offer by GVC for the entire issued and to be issued share capital of Ladbrokes Coral has now become Effective in accordance with its terms as set out in the scheme document published by Ladbrokes Coral on 9 February 2018 (the "Scheme Document"). This follows the Court's sanction of the Scheme at the Court Hearing held on Monday 26 March 2018, as announced by Ladbrokes Coral and GVC on the same day.