CELEX: 32020M9882
Language: en
Date: 2020-11-16 00:00:00
Title: Commission Decision of 16/11/2020 declaring a concentration to be compatible with the common market (Case No COMP/M.9882 - SAZKA GROUP / ÖBAG / CASINOS AUSTRIA) according to Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (Only the English text is authentic)

EUROPEAN COMMISSION
                                                                Brussels, 16.11.2020
                                                                C(2020) 8058 final
                                                                                 PUBLIC VERSION
                                                                To the notifying parties
Subject:        Case M.9882 – SAZKA GROUP / ÖBAG / CASINOS AUSTRIA
                Commission decision pursuant to Article 6(1)(b) of Council Regulation
                                       1
                (EC) No 139/2004 and Article 57 of the Agreement on the European
                                    2
                Economic Area
Dear Sir or Madam,
1.      On 20 October 2020, the European Commission received notification of a proposed
        concentration pursuant to Article 4 of the Merger Regulation by which SAZKA Group
        a.s (“SAZKA Group”, Czechia), belonging to the KKCG Group, and Österreichische
        Beteiligungs Aktiengesellschaft (“ÖBAG”, Austria), owned by the Austrian state,
        acquire within the meaning of Articles 3(1)(b) and 3(4) of the Merger Regulation joint
        control of Casinos Austria Aktiengesellschaft (“CASAG”, Austria), currently solely
        controlled by SAZKA Group. The concentration is accomplished by way of contract.3
2.      The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:
             for SAZKA Group: the parent company of a European lottery group. It is
              principally a holding company, but also provides gaming consulting services. Its
              subsidiaries provide lottery, gaming and betting services (as well as other
              services) in Czechia, Greece, Cyprus and Italy;
             for ÖBAG: an autonomous state-owned holding company, which administers
              state investments and is mainly active in (i) active participation management, (ii)
              acquisition of share rights in existing investments and in third companies, (iii)
              measures to promote the development of Austria as an economic location, (iv)
              external participation management and (v) privatisation management;
             for CASAG: active in the gaming area in Austria through the operation of (i)
              casinos; (ii) lotteries; (iii) Video Lottery Terminals; (iv) sports betting and (v)
1       OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1 (the ‘Merger Regulation’). With effect from 1 December 2009, the Treaty on
        the Functioning of the European Union (‘TFEU’) has introduced certain changes, such as the
        replacement of ‘Community’ by ‘Union’ and ‘common market’ by ‘internal market’. The terminology
        of the TFEU will be used throughout this decision.
2       OJ L 1, 3.1.1994, p. 3 (the ‘EEA Agreement’).
3       Publication in the Official Journal of the European Union No C 365, 29.10.2020, p. 8.
Commission européenne, DG COMP MERGER REGISTRY, 1049 Bruxelles, BELGIQUE
Europese Commissie, DG COMP MERGER REGISTRY, 1049 Brussel, BELGIË
Tel: +32 229-91111. Fax: +32 229-64301. E-mail: COMP-MERGER-REGISTRY@ec.europa.eu.
 ---pagebreak---         online gaming. In addition, CASAG operates, through its subsidiaries, casinos in
        Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Egypt, Liechtenstein, Germany, Hungary,
        Palestinia and Switzerland, as well as a video lottery terminal operation in North
        Macedonia.
3. After examination of the notification, the European Commission has concluded that
   the notified operation falls within the scope of the Merger Regulation and of
   paragraph 5(b) of the Commission Notice on a simplified procedure for treatment of
   certain concentrations under Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004.4
4. For the reasons set out in the Notice on a simplified procedure, the European
   Commission has decided not to oppose the notified operation and to declare it
   compatible with the internal market and with the EEA Agreement. This decision is
   adopted in application of Article 6(1)(b) of the Merger Regulation and Article 57 of
   the EEA Agreement.
                                                   For the Commission
                                                   (Signed)
                                                   Olivier GUERSENT
                                                   Director-General
4  OJ C 366, 14.12.2013, p. 5.
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