Speculation grows over sale of SIS as betting industry provider undergoes review

Betting industry content and data provider SIS could be put up for sale as the company undergoes a strategic review.

Sky News reported on Wednesday that SIS, which provides services to both online and retail bookmakers, had had a £200 million price tag placed upon it. However, industry sources told the Racing Post the process was still at an early stage and that there was no guarantee a sale would take place.

Last year Catalyst Media Group (CMG), which owns a 20.54 per cent share in SIS, said that financial advisory firm Oakvale Capital had been brought in last November "to review strategic options for the SIS business".

They added: "The outcome of this review process may include various courses of action for the future of the business and once the SIS board has reached any conclusions an appropriate announcement will be made by CMG."

SIS is majority bookmaker-owned, with Entain having a 23.41 per cent stake through Ladbrokes Coral, 888 a 19.51 per cent stake through William Hill and Fred Done a total 13.5 per cent stake – six per cent through Betfred following their purchase of the Tote and a 7.5 per cent personal shareholding.

Apart from CMG, the other main non-betting industry shareholder is investment trust Caledonia Investments which has a 22.55 per cent stake.

One potential interested party in a sale could be the Reuben Brothers' Arena Racing Company, the main force behind rival provider The Racing Partnership.

However, SIS bookmaker shareholders might not look favourably on a return to a monopoly supplier.

SIS did not wish to comment when contacted by the Racing Post. The company was hit hard by the closure of betting shops during the early stages of the Covid pandemic, but in its latest accounts said it had seen a "significant improvement", moving to a group operating profit of £8.9m in the year to March 2022 following a £7.5m loss in the previous 12 months.

In 2021 SIS and Racecourse Media Group extended their betting shop picture and data deal for a further three years to the end of March 2026.

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