OFT to investigate £35m Barcrest deal

THE Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is looking into the £35m acquisition of Tameside gaming firm Barcrest by the US group Scientific Games.

The deal was agreed last month subject to UK competition approvals and some third party consents which are expected in the third quarter.

The OFT is seeking comments on the deal to assess whether it could lead to a “substantial lessening of competition”.

Barcrest designs and makes gambling games for pubs and amusement arcades. Scientific Games has said the deal will extend its presence in betting shop, pubs and bingo halls.

New York Stock Exchange-listed Scientific Games agreed the deal with Barcrest’s parent company, International Game Technology, which is also listed in New York.

The UK division of International Game Technology, IGT-UK, also owns the mobile gaming specialist Million-2-1 which it bought from entrepreneur Chris Sheffield in 2008 and Wilmslow-based WagerWorks, a developer of games for the internet and TV.

In the year to September Barcrest, which employs 230 staff, had sales of £45m.