Flutter Entertainment-owned Sisal has been awarded Morocco’s sports betting concession licence for an eight-year term.
The Italy-facing online operator, which launched Morocco’s lotteries licence in 2019, obtained the betting concession from La Marocaine des Jeux et des Sports (MDJS). The deal, which sees Sisal replace Intralot from January 2024, also includes the possibility of a two-year extension.
The offering, which includes fixed-odds and mutual betting, will be exclusively distributed by Sisal Jeux Maroc through a network of retail outlets and online. Sisal Jeux Maroc is a joint venture between Sisal and Paddy Power, another Flutter division.
The award comes a year after the beginning of the tender process, and six months after Sisal was acquired by Flutter in a €1.91bn deal.
Marco Caccavale, chief executive of Sisal Jeux Maroc and international managing director of Sisal, said: “We are extremely pleased to announce the consolidation of our offering in Morocco. The decision by MDJS is testament to the quality of our work and how much we have achieved in the last three years, in a country with a strong growth trajectory and great potential.
“This is our fourth successful international tender, all of which have been highly competitive, recognising the commitment, investment and know-how that make us unique in the market. Being part of Flutter enhances our value proposition and enables us to develop joint products and services for different market segments.”
The licence in Morocco is part of the business’ strategy for international expansion into emerging markets. It comes soon after Sisal’s contract win in neighbouring Tunisia with Sisal having also been awarded licences in Spain and Turkey.
Younes El Mechrafi, director-general of the MDJS, said: “We are delighted to have been able to conclude with Sisal Jeux Maroc, the winner of our call for tenders on sports betting, an agreement which puts in place a highly responsible and forward-looking framework and which offers the National Fund for the Development of Sport (FNDS) growing resources. This agreement marks a real quantum leap for the MDJS, and strengthens its position in a constantly evolving sector.”
Intralot announced in 2021 that its eight-year betting licence, signed in 2019, would instead end in December 2022. The expiry of the contract was later extended to December 2023.
