Late last week, Superbet announced that it had reached terms to secure a €1.3bn refinancing agreement in a bid to accelerate its strategic expansion.

Led by the group’s principal investor, Blackstone, the funding bolsters Superbet’s bid to expand into the Brazilian market, as well as open up further M&A functionality.

Speaking about the deal on the latest episode of iGaming Daily, Ted Menmuir, SBC’s Content Director, said: “Superbet is really aiming to secure its giant status and it’s at a point of transition where I think it’s a company that’s being prepped to join the top table of gaming and it’s really down to them as to whether they can do that or not.”

He added that Superbet now appears to be set to take a tilt at usurping some of the biggest names in European gaming – such as Bet365, Betano and Flutter’s litany of brands – in key locations where it currently sits among the podium places for operators. 

“Superbet believes that from these podium places, it can ramp up for further acquisitions and new markets,” explained Ted. “I think that one of the players that they will be monitoring is Entain and its inflated portfolio to see whether it can acquire any assets out of that. Entertain is still keen to get rid of Crystal Bet, so there could be some movement there.”

Although focused on what the investment means for Superbet, Ted, alongside SBC’s Project Director, Martyn Elliott, also probed what future opportunities Blackstone envisions for Superbet’s future growth.

The private equity giant began its investment in Superbet in 2019, supporting the betting group’s initial expansion from its home market of Romania into both Central and Eastern Europe, as well as the Balkan markets. 

Ted speculated that the firm may view the “regulatory ruptures” currently being viewed across Europe as an opportunity for Superbet to grow.

He said: “You’ve got to be much more disciplined on a market-by-market basis and there could be a very good case that with the right funding and the right kind of leadership teams, you could be upsetting the top table of gaming.

“I think that they might be looking at Superbet saying that this is the brand to do it. They’re operationally efficient, they know how to expand their teams within each individual market and they’re [good] at marketing, which we’ve seen a lot of operators retreat from.”