Pferdewetten.de AG is making a major play in the German retail betting scene. The Düsseldorf-based operator has struck an exclusive deal to take over HAPPYBET’s network of betting shops. It’s a retail sports betting deal that puts its sportwetten.de brand in the driver’s seat for future growth.

• The agreement hands pferdewetten.de the exclusive rights to take over all HAPPYBET betting shops across Germany. The deal, signed with Playtech subsidiary Trinity Bet Operations Ltd., includes around 600 pieces of hardware—think betting terminals and cash register systems. All of it will be used to fuel the rollout of the sportwetten.de brand across the country.

• By absorbing these shops, pferdewetten.de gets immediate access to HAPPYBET’s existing retail partners. That means they can hit the ground running without having to build relationships from scratch. Even better, they won’t need any new regulatory approvals, so the transition should go off without a hitch.

• CEO Pierre Hofer says the integration will move fast: “We’re expecting a mid-double-digit number of shops to be up and running under our brand in just three months. That translates to roughly €7 million in additional annual hold and over €1 million in EBITDA.”

• The switchover is being tightly coordinated with HAPPYBET’s team to keep everything smooth behind the scenes. That includes keeping shops operational during the rebranding and training phases. From a customer’s perspective, there should be no downtime.

• This is all part of pferdewetten.de’s bigger push to build out its retail footprint. The company is aiming to have more than 300 shops open under the sportwetten.de name by the end of 2025. This deal puts them well on the way to hitting that number.

• More broadly, it’s a strong signal that pferdewetten.de is doubling down on its bricks-and-mortar betting business. With this retail sports betting deal, it’s carving out a much bigger slice of the German market.

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