Unibet has agreed to acquire Malta-based Maria Holdings Ltd. for £54 million, with the deal scheduled for completion before year's end.
The acquisition of Maria Holdings -- which operates the Maria, Carlos, Bingo.se and Parabol brands, as well as the Kharma Partners affiliate network -- was made to broaden both its Nordic footprint and demographic coverage, with special emphasis on female customers.
"With this acquisition we will strengthen our position in the Nordic region as well as within the fast-growing online bingo market," said Unibet Chief Executive Petter Nylander.
Nylander added that he hoped Unibet would, via the acquisition, become "a leading [private gaming operator] among women."
Unibet said it planned to finance the acquisition by way of bank debt or capital raised in the bond market.
Maria Holdings is owned by Swedish investment group Maria Investment AB.
In Stockholm, shares in Unibet were down SEK 3.00, or 1.54 percent, to SEK 191.50.