Evoke shareholders have overwhelmingly approved the proposed takeover by Bally’s Intralot, clearing a major hurdle for the £243.1 million transaction involving the owner of William Hill, 888 and Mr Green.
At the court meeting, 96.77% of votes cast by value supported the scheme of arrangement, covering 268,206,379 evoke shares. The company said 3.23% of the votes by value opposed the proposal. A separate general meeting produced even stronger backing, with 99.63% of votes supporting the resolutions required to implement the takeover and amend parts of evoke’s articles. Evoke had 450,403,766 shares in issue at the relevant voting record time.
The transaction was formally agreed in June after Bally’s Intralot and evoke reached terms on an acquisition valuing each evoke share at approximately 52 pence. Under the main share offer, investors are entitled to receive 0.537 new Bally’s Intralot shares for every evoke share held. A partial cash alternative is also available, with the total cash consideration capped at approximately £117.1 million.
The offer emerged after evoke began a strategic review while facing pressure from its debt load and a tougher UK gambling environment. The company ended 2025 with roughly £1.86 billion of debt following its acquisition of William Hill’s non-US operations, while higher UK gambling taxes added further pressure to its financial outlook.
Evoke has also been restructuring its retail estate. Its 2025 annual report said the group planned to close around 15% of its shops following an earlier round of 68 closures, with the combined programme expected to deliver approximately £11 million in annualised adjusted EBITDA improvements.
Shareholder approval does not complete the acquisition. The scheme still requires court sanction and the remaining transaction conditions to be met. Several antitrust and regulatory requirements have already been satisfied, according to evoke. Completion is currently expected during the fourth quarter of 2026 or the first quarter of 2027, depending on the timing of the court process.
If completed, the deal will place evoke’s portfolio — including William Hill, 888, Mr Green and Winner — within the wider Bally’s Intralot group, significantly expanding the buyer’s presence across European online betting and gaming markets.