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BGI advised Paddy Power Betfair plc on the acquisition of a majority stake in Adjarabet

BGI advised Paddy Power Betfair plc (PPB) on the acquisition of a majority stake in Adjarabet, the largest online gaming business in Georgia, with 40% of the Georgian and 10% of the Armenian market share, in a transaction valued at EUR 116 million. Given the scale and regional impact of the transaction, it was dubbed “deal of the year” by the March 2019 issue of Forbes Georgia Magazine.

 “PPB’s entry into the Caucasus is a major game-changer and we are very proud to have been instrumental in the global giant’s successful expansion into the region. BGI’s involvement in this landmark transaction once again reaffirms our leading role on the Georgian legal services market – a place we have comfortably held for more than two decades.” - says Zaza Bibilashvili, BGI Senior Partner who led the team during this transaction.

 PPB a global sports betting and gaming operator, with market-leading positions in the UK, Ireland, Australia and the US. Its shares are admitted to trading on the London Stock Exchange and the Irish Stock Exchange (trading as Euronext Dublin) and constitute part of the FTSE 100 index, the  leading equity index including 100 largest companies listed on the London Stock Exchange by market capitalization.

BGI Legal is ‘exceptional' in M&A, financing and real estate, and is especially prominent in the energy sector. Lasha Gogiberidze, whom clients regard as ‘the top lawyer in Georgia for banking, finance and capital markets transactions', and Sandro Bibilashvili handled a number of innovative regional energy projects and joint ventures, such as the Adjaristsqali hydropower project.

Legal 500 - 2017

Lasha Gogiberidze maintains an excellent reputation for his expertise in capital markets and project finance, handling some of the market's most prominent lending transactions. Clients highlight him as an "open-minded" practitioner who "always comes up with a good solution" and provides advice which is "straight to the point and concise." Zaza Bibilashvili has experience of handling some of the biggest mandates in the market, most recently advising on substantial real estate projects. He is also a noted practitioner in the dispute resolution arena.

Chambers Global - 2017

Zaza Bibilashvili is able to suggest winning strategies and is active across a range of contentious and non-contentious work, including real estate and intellectual property matters. Previous comments include: BGI Legal fields ‘a team of true professionals with good knowledge of law and a proper understanding of business needs`. It provides full-service support to leading multinational and Georgian clients, handling general legal matters alongside more complex financing, M&A, dispute resolution and capital markets mandates.

Legal 500 - 2016