European Gaming had raised a previously agreed offer for British amusement arcade firm Talarius Plc by 3.7 percent to GBP142.3 million ($280 million) from 280 pence per Talarius share from the 270 pence announced on November 22. No official reason was given by European Gaming why the offer was raised and the company was not immediately available for comment. Talarius was originally part of the Rank Group and has two divisions: an online gaming arcade, Cyberslotz, and Britain's largest chain of adult gaming centres, Quicksilver, with 185 sites. Previous to Tattersall’s latest bid, Irish betting giant Paddy Power was also said to be interested in acquiring Talarius. Now that the deal has been confirmed, Talarius will provide Tattersall’s with a significant presence in the UK gaming industry where Talarius controls 17 per cent of the market. And perhaps more importantly it will give Tattersall’s a strong foundation to expand into Europe. However, some city pundits are calling the deal between Talarius and European Gaming a “marriage of convenience which may not last long”. This stems from remarks made by Tattersall’s Chief Executive Dick McIIwain. “I don't think we would be looking beyond three years to see how the business might be restructured,” he told reporters. . Once the Talarius deal is bedded down, Tattersall’s has stated that it plans to look at further consolidation opportunities in Britain.

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