The proposed $3.4 billion merger between British bookmakers Ladbrokes and Gala Coral looks set to finally receive the green light, after the two companies agreed to the demands from Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to sell between 350 and 400 betting shops.
Ladbrokes currently operates 2,154 betting shops in the United Kingdom and Coral operates approximately 1,850 shops. The merger would combine these numbers, giving the new company more than 4,000 betting shops, dwarfing the 2,370 shops of rival company William Hill.
In April 2015, reports surfaced in the British press of the CMA demanding Ladbrokes and Coral dispose of up to 1,000 high street betting shops in order to maintain a healthy competition between the gambling companies.