A bid is apparently being made for Talarius, the publicly-quoted largest chain of adult gaming centres in the UK.
The company’s shares rose nearly 10 per cent on the news that a bid was in the offing, confirmed by Talarius. The company has nearly 200 centres in towns and cities across the UK and around 10,000 gaming machines in its operation. The company confirmed that it had received an approach, “which may or may not lead to an offer being made.”
The strong cashflow at Talarius is thought to be the attraction for a bidder, especially from the private equity sector. Favourite among City speculators is Tattersalls, the Australian gambling company that has been bidding for the right to run the UK National Lottery. It already owns around 10 per cent of the Talarius shares, although other possible bidders could be Ladbrokes, William Hill and Rank.
After the news, Talarius shares rose 23p to 260.5p. When the company floated last year, its shares started at 89p.
