After announcing last week that it had officially completed its acquisition of Malta-based rival ComeOn Malta Limited for just over $228.12 million, Swedish online casino operator Cherry AB has now revealed that has postponed its up-listing to the Nasdaq Stockholm until later in the year.
Cherry AB, which is responsible for over a dozen online gaming domains including CherryCasino.com, SunnyPlayer.com and SveaCasino.com, is currently listed on the AktieTorget market but had hoped to transfer to the much larger Nasdaq Stockholm platform before the start of June.
However, in a short communication released on Wednesday, the Stockholm-based firm explained that it had now delayed this move until “after the summer” due to “the recently completed and significant acquisition of Come On Malta Limited” along with work “finalizing the integration that has been ongoing since July [of] 2016”.
“The company is in a strong position in relation to the up-listing and the preparations continue with high priority,” read the communication from Cherry AB. “The decision allows the company to focus on finalizing the integration with ComeOn [Malta Limited] and also the latest acquisition of the game development company Highlight Games that was communicated to the market last week.”
Cherry AB, which is now the third largest online gambling operator in Scandinavia, spent approximately $85 million in July to acquire a 49% stake in ComeOn Malta Limited before exercising an option for the remaining share of its smaller rival in December. This second deal was funded from its own cash reserves to the tune of about $136.88 million while the remaining amount came from the $146 million it raised last month via the issuance of secured bonds.
In anticipation of successfully completing the purchase of ComeOn Malta Limited, late-March saw Cherry AB declare that it would be unifying all of its consumer-facing Internet gaming activities under a new ComeOn!-branded business division while continuing to run performance-based marketing via its Game Lounge concern with its XCaliber enterprise handling technology development.
March additionally saw Cherry AB, which employs around 900 people,?proclaim that the Yggdrasil Gaming concern would continue to develop all of its online games with its restaurant casino operated by its Cherry Spelgladje subsidiary while the purchase of ComeOn Malta Limited is expected to triple its annual revenues to as high as $302 million.