Evoke shareholders have unanimously backed Bally’s Intralot’s proposed all-share acquisition of the gambling group, clearing a major hurdle in the transaction.
At meetings held on Monday, 17 August, shareholders approved both the proposed scheme of arrangement and the special resolution required to implement the deal.
At the Court Meeting, 99.91% of shares voted supported the scheme, with 268.2 million shares voting in favour and just 236,504 against. The shares voted represented approximately 59.6% of Evoke’s issued share capital.
Shareholders also gave strong backing at the General Meeting, with 99.63% of votes supporting the resolution to implement the scheme and amend Evoke’s articles of association, and just 0.37% voting against. However, the transaction has not yet been completed.
The next major milestone is a hearing of the Gibraltar Court to consider whether to sanction the scheme. Evoke and Intralot currently expect that hearing to take place in the fourth quarter of 2026 or the first quarter of 2027, subject to the remaining conditions being satisfied or waived.
If the Court sanctions the scheme and the outstanding conditions are met, the acquisition is expected to become effective during the same period.
Bally's Intralot and Evoke first announced the recommended all-share acquisition on 5 June, with the deal forming part of Bally's strategy to expand its international gaming and betting operations.
The acquisition would add William Hill, 888 and other Evoke brands to Bally's Intralot's lottery, betting and gaming platform. The enlarged group is expected to rank second in UK iGaming and fourth in UK online sports betting by gross gaming revenue.
Evoke reported flat revenue and lower earnings for the first half of 2026 as higher gaming duties across several regulated markets weighed on profitability