FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN, INTO OR FROM THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, CANADA, AUSTRALIA OR JAPAN OR FROM ANY JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS OR REGULATIONS OF SUCH JURISDICTION

THIS IS AN ANNOUNCEMENT FALLING UNDER RULE 2.4 OF THE CITY CODE ON TAKEOVERS AND MERGERS (THE "CODE") AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN ANNOUNCEMENT OF A FIRM INTENTION TO MAKE AN OFFER UNDER RULE 2.7 OF THE CODE. THERE CAN BE NO CERTAINTY THAT ANY OFFER WILL BE MADE, NOR AS TO THE TERMS ON WHICH ANY SUCH OFFER MIGHT BE MADE

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION 

For immediate release

21 September 2021

Statement in response to media speculation

The Board of Entain plc ("Entain" or the "Company") notes the recent media speculation.

The Board of Entain confirms that it has received a proposal from DraftKings to acquire Entain, the consideration for which would include a combination of DraftKings stock and cash.

There can be no certainty that any offer will be made for the Company, nor as to the terms on which any such offer may be made.

A further announcement will be made as and when appropriate. Shareholders are urged to take no action at this time.

Any offer for Entain is governed by the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers. Under Rule 2.6(a) of the Code, DraftKings must by not later than 5.00 p.m. on 19 October 2021 either announce a firm intention to make an offer for Entain in accordance with Rule 2.7 of the Code or announce that it does not intend to make an offer, in which case the announcement will be treated as a statement to which Rule 2.8 of the Code applies. This deadline will only be extended with the consent of the Panel in accordance with Rule 2.6(c) of the Code.

This announcement has been made without the consent of DraftKings.

Contact Details:

Entain plc

David Lloyd-Seed, Group Director of Investor Relations & Corporate Communications
Tel: +44 (0) 203 938 0000
investors@Entaingroup.com

Deutsche Bank (Joint Financial Adviser and Corporate Broker to Entain)
Gavin Deane

Mathew Mathew
Charles Wilkinson
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7545 8000

Morgan Stanley (Joint Financial Adviser and Corporate Broker to Entain)
Laurence Hopkins

Tom Perry
Richard Brown
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7425 8000

Powerscourt
Rory Godson / Rob Greening
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7250 1446
Entain@powerscourt-group.com

LEI: 213800GNI3K45LQR8L28

About Entain plc

Entain plc (LSE: ENT) is a FTSE100 company and is one of the world's largest sports-betting and gaming groups, operating both online and in the retail sector. The Group owns a comprehensive portfolio of established brands; Sports Brands include bwin, Bet.pt, Coral, Crystalbet, Eurobet, Ladbrokes, Neds and Sportingbet; Gaming Brands include CasinoClub, Foxy Bingo, Gala, Gioco Digitale, Ninja Casino, Optibet, partypoker and PartyCasino. The Group owns proprietary technology across all its core product verticals and in addition to its B2C operations provides services to a number of third-party customers on a B2B basis. The Group has also entered into a joint-venture with MGM Resorts to capitalise on the sports betting and gaming opportunity in the US, through BetMGM. Entain provides the technology which powers BetMGM and exclusive games and products, specially developed at its in-house gaming studios. The Group is tax resident in the UK with licenses in a total of 27 regulated markets. Entain is a leader in ESG, a member of FTSE4Good, the DJSI and is AA rated by MSCI. The Group has set an SBT, committing to be carbon net zero by 2035 and through the Entain Foundation supports a variety of initiatives, focusing on safer gambling, grassroots sport, diversity in technology and community projects.

For more information see the Group's website: www.Entaingroup.com

Disclosure requirements of the Takeover Code (the "Code")

Under Rule 8.3(a) of the Code, any person who is interested in 1% or more of any class of relevant securities of an offeree company or of any securities exchange offeror (being any offeror other than an offeror in respect of which it has been announced that its offer is, or is likely to be, solely in cash) must make an Opening Position Disclosure following the commencement of the offer period and, if later, following the announcement in which any securities exchange offeror is first identified. An Opening Position Disclosure must contain details of the person's interests and short positions in, and rights to subscribe for, any relevant securities of each of (i) the offeree company and (ii) any securities exchange offeror(s). An Opening Position Disclosure by a person to whom Rule 8.3(a) applies must be made by no later than 3.30 pm (London time) on the 10th business day following the commencement of the offer period and, if appropriate, by no later than 3.30 pm (London time) on the 10th business day following the announcement in which any securities exchange offeror is first identified. Relevant persons who deal in the relevant securities of the offeree company or of a securities exchange offeror prior to the deadline for making an Opening Position Disclosure must instead make a Dealing Disclosure. Under Rule 8.3(b) of the Code, any person who is, or becomes, interested in 1% or more of any class of relevant securities of the offeree company or of any securities exchange offeror must make a Dealing Disclosure if the person deals in any relevant securities of the offeree company or of any securities exchange offeror. A Dealing Disclosure must contain details of the dealing concerned and of the person's interests and short positions in, and rights to subscribe for, any relevant securities of each of (i) the offeree company and (ii) any securities exchange offeror(s), save to the extent that these details have previously been disclosed under Rule 8. A Dealing Disclosure by a person to whom Rule 8.3(b) applies must be made by no later than 3.30 pm (London time) on the business day following the date of the relevant dealing. If two or more persons act together pursuant to an agreement or understanding whether formal or informal, to acquire or control an interest in relevant securities of an offeree company or a securities exchange offeror, they will be deemed to be a single person for the purposes of Rule 8.3.2. Opening Position Disclosures must also be made by the offeree company and by any offeror and Dealing Disclosures must also be made by the offeree company, by any offeror and by any persons acting in concert with any of them (see Rules 8.1, 8.2 and 8.4).

Details of the offeree and offeror companies in respect of whose relevant securities Opening Position Disclosures and Dealing Disclosures must be made can be found in the Disclosure Table on the Takeover Panel's website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk, including details of the number of relevant securities in issue, when the offer period commenced and when any offeror was first identified. You should contact the Panel's Market Surveillance Unit on +44 (0)20 7638 0129 if you are in any doubt as to whether you are required to make an Opening Position Disclosure or a Dealing Disclosure.

Relevant securities in issue

In accordance with Rule 2.9 of the Code, Entain confirms that, as at the date of this announcement, it has 585,591,361 ordinary shares of €0.01 each in issue and admitted to trading on the London Stock Exchange. The ISIN is IM00B5VQMV65.

Publication on a website

In accordance with Rule 26.1 of the Code, a copy of this announcement will be available at www.Entaingroup.com. The content of the website referred to in this announcement is not incorporated into and does not form part of this announcement. The person responsible for arranging for the release of this announcement on behalf of Entain is Emily Carey (Company Secretary).

Entain Shareholders may request a hard copy of this announcement by contacting Link Asset Services during business hours on 0871 664 0300 from within the UK or +44 (0)371 664 0300 if calling from outside the UK or by submitting a request in writing to Link Asset Services at The Registry, 34 Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent, BR3 4TU. If you have received this announcement in electronic form, copies of this announcement and any document or information incorporated by reference into this document will not be provided unless such a request is made.

Please be aware that addresses, electronic addresses and certain other information provided by Entain Shareholders, persons with information rights and other relevant persons for the receipt of communications from Entain may be provided to DraftKings during the offer period as required under Section 4 of Appendix 4 of the Code to comply with Rule 2.11.

Important notices

Deutsche Bank is authorised and regulated by the European Central Bank and the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin). With respect to activities undertaken in the UK, Deutsche Bank is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority with deemed variation of permission. It is subject to regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority and limited regulation by the Prudential Regulation Authority. The nature and extent of client protections may differ from those for firms based in the UK. Details about the Temporary Permissions Regime, which allows EEA-based firms to operate in the UK for a limited period while seeking full authorisation, are available on the Financial Conduct Authority's website. Neither Deutsche Bank nor any of its subsidiaries, branches or affiliates will be responsible to any person other than Entain for providing any of the protections afforded to clients of Deutsche Bank nor for providing advice in relation to any matters referred to in this announcement. Neither Deutsche Bank nor any of its subsidiaries, branches or affiliates owes or accepts any duty, liability or responsibility whatsoever (whether direct or indirect, whether in contract, in tort, under statute or otherwise) to any person who is not a client of Deutsche Bank in connection with this announcement, any statement contained herein, or otherwise. Deutsche Bank, acting through its London branch, is acting as financial adviser and joint corporate broker to Entain and no other person in connection with the contents of this announcement.

Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc ("Morgan Stanley") which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority in the UK is acting as joint financial adviser and corporate broker exclusively for Entain and no one else in connection with the matters set out in this announcement. In connection with such matters, Morgan Stanley, its affiliates and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents will not regard any other person as their client, nor will they be responsible to any other person for providing the protections afforded to their clients or for providing advice in relation to the contents of this announcement or any other matter referred to herein.

This announcement is not intended to and does not constitute an offer to buy or the solicitation of an offer to subscribe for or sell or an invitation to purchase or subscribe for any securities or the solicitation of any vote in any jurisdiction. In particular, this announcement does not contain or constitute an offer of, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, DraftKings Shares or any other securities into the United States, Canada, Australia, or Japan or in any jurisdiction to whom in which such an offer or solicitation is unlawful. The DraftKings Shares referred to herein may not be offered or sold in the United States unless registered under the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended ("US Securities Act") or offered in a transaction exempt from, or not subject to, the registration requirements of the US Securities Act. The release, publication or distribution of this announcement in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, in, into or from certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law and therefore persons in such jurisdictions should inform themselves about and observe such restrictions.

In accordance with normal UK practice and pursuant to Rule 14e-5(b) of the US Exchange Act, DraftKings or its nominees, or its brokers (acting as agents), may from time to time make certain purchases of, or arrangements to purchase, Entain Shares outside the United States, other than pursuant to the Offer, before or during the period in which the Offer, if made, remains open for acceptance. These purchases may occur either in the open market at prevailing prices or in private transactions at negotiated prices. Any information about such purchases will be disclosed as required in the United Kingdom, will be reported to a Regulatory Information Service and will be available on the London Stock Exchange website, www.londonstockexchange.com.

Forward-looking statements

This document contains certain statements that are forward-looking statements. They appear in a number of places throughout this document and include statements regarding our intentions, beliefs or current expectations and those of our officers, directors and employees concerning, amongst other things, results of our operations, financial condition, liquidity, prospects, growth, strategies and the business we operate. These forward-looking statements include all matters that are not historical facts. By their nature, these statements involve risks and uncertainties since future events and circumstances can cause results and developments to differ materially from those anticipated. Any such forward-looking statements reflect knowledge and information available at the date of preparation of this document. Other than in accordance with its legal or regulatory obligations (including under the Market Abuse Regulation (596/2014), the Listing Rules, the Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules and the Prospectus Rules), the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statements. Nothing in this document should be construed as a profit forecast or profit estimate. The Company and its directors accept no liability to third parties in respect of this document save as would arise under English law.