Belgium National Lottery pushes for privatisation
Chief exec Jannie Haek eyes Française des Jeux-style IPO to drive investment in stalling vertical
The CEO of Belgium’s National Lottery has recommended taking the operator private through an initial public offering (IPO).
Chief executive Jannie Haek said he would like to see the company partially listed on the stock exchange after French counterpart Française des Jeux (FDJ) began trading publicly last week.
FDJ shares rose 16.5% during its first day of trading on the Euronext Stock Exchange, and Haek told The Brussels Times that a similar move would provide a “beautiful opportunity for Belgian investors”.
French finance minister Bruno Le Maire described the FDJ IPO as a “tremendous success”, but Belgium’s interim government appear less enamoured with the idea.
Deputy Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said: “The CEO can wish it, but we, the Government, are the owners [of the National Lottery].
“It is for the owners to decide what they do with the company,” he added, insisting that the potential for privatisation was “interesting but not urgent”.
Belgium’s National Lottery is immune from the country’s ban on gambling advertising.