Circus Casino France, the French subsidiary of Gaming1, the entertainment branch of the Belgian group Ardent Group, is extending its presence in Switzerland with the acquisition of shares in the Crans-Montana casino held by the publicly traded company Partouche.
This transaction allows Circus Casino France to become the main shareholder of the establishment with 57.24%. The remaining percentages of shares are held by the other existing holders, namely the communes of Crans-Montana, Lens and Icogne, as well as the Ispar Holding group. The closing of the transaction took place yesterday.
Already the owner of 7 casinos in France and a club in Paris, Circus Casino France has entered the Swiss market with this transaction. The Crans-Montana casino will gradually take on the brand’s colors. However, this isn’t a first for Ardent Group, which became the main shareholder of Casino Davos last October and notably operates 777.ch. This acquisition now allows the group with 30 years’ experience to strengthen their position as a major actor of games of chance in Switzerland and Europe.
The renowned Crans-Montana casino located in the Valais was founded in 2000 and today has 53 employees. Offering both slot machines and table games, the establishment itself generated a revenue of 15 million Swiss francs in 2019 (excluding Covid).
Sébastien Leclercq, Country Manager Circus Casino France said:
We are proud to announce the acquisition of shares in the Crans-Montanta casino, a fantastic land-based establishment which has gained a great reputation and many loyal clients over the years. This transaction is representative of Ardent Group’s ambitious plans and underlines the growth strategy of their brand Circus as a major actor in land-based gaming halls and casinos.
But the group’s Swiss ambitions don’t stop there. Beyond their role as a gaming hall and casino operator, the company Gaming1, which is linked to Circus Casino France, developed their own technological and digital platform more than 10 years ago which allows land-based operators in regulated markets to develop an online presence through legal gaming websites. As Switzerland is one of the countries granting the right to holders of a physical gaming establishment license to own their own digital gaming site, Gaming1 intends to develop an omnichannel offer for Swiss players through the Circus.ch site.
