Betting operator Evoke have agreed to a three-week extension with Bally's Intralot as talks over a £225M takeover continue.
In an email to staff that BonusFinder have exclusively seen, Evoke's CEO Per Widerstrom revealed that 'constructive discussions are continuing' between the two companies.
Bally's failed to make bid in Evoke deal
The announcement was made less than 30 minutes before the previous deadline which was 5PM BST on Monday, 18 May, but with the Athens-listed company failing to make a bid in time, an extension to the deadline was requested.
Per Widerstrom told staff: "As you know, on 20 April 2026 we announced that we were in discussions with Bally's Intralot regarding a possible offer for Evoke.
"Constructive discussions between the parties are continuing and Bally's Intralot has requested, and the Evoke Board has agreed to, an extension to the timetable for reaching a formal outcome.
"Bally's Intralot is now required either to announce a firm intention to make an offer for Evoke or to announce that it does not intend to make an offer by no later than 5PM (UK time) on 8 June 2026. This deadline can be extended further with Evoke's consent. As previously stated, there can be no certainty that an offer will ultimately be made, nor as to the terms of any such offer."
Bally's share price dipping
Earlier this morning, Bally's Intralot announced their preliminary Q1 results for 2026 where they had a group revenue of £268.1M, whilst UK online performance was up 11.5% year-on-year (y-o-y).
The offer from Bally's Intralot is believed to be at £0.50 per share, with the offer comprising an all-share combination with a partial cash alternative. On Monday, their share price ended trading at 33.5p, which was down 1.6p.
Evoke's debt continues to spiral
In what's been a turbulent time for Evoke, their debt of an estimated £1.86B was accumulated largely as a result of 888 Holdings' purchase of William Hill's non-US assets from Caesars Entertainment in 2022.
Causing further issues for the brand was that earlier this year, William Hill accidentally paid out millions to customers when their in-house casino game Jackpot Drop malfunctioned.
Additionally, just last month, when their delayed end-of-year 2025 results were made public, staff were told on a call that salaries will remain the same and that no bonus will be paid for 2025 or be up for grabs for 2026.
They also announced that they'll close around 270 shops across Britain as the recent tax hikes by Rachel Reeves came to fruition on 1 April, 2026.
Could Bally's Intralot 'save' William Hill?
However, last month Bally's Intralot revealed that they were awarded a 15-year contract to operate electronic gaming machines in Victoria, Australia. As well as that, they were awarded a 12-year contract to operate lotteries in Chile.
The deadline extension reveals that talks might be progressing to an agreement. What that means for the in-debt companies remains to be seen, but the problems continue for one of the UK's oldest and most recognisable sports betting and casino brands.
