Better Collective boosts Polish presence with latest acquisition

Better Collective has boosted its presence in Poland with the acquisition of Goal.pl Group as the affiliate company looks ahead to the 2018 World Cup.

The acquired Goal.pl Group consists of more than 15 domain sites and attracts up to one million visitors per month across Eastern Europe.

Better Collective completed the acquisition at the end of December, marking an eighth major purchase for 2017.

The firm has said this particular acquisition helps further its long term strategy of expanding its presence within regulated markets, with a particular interest in the Polish market, due to its growing economy and recent regulation of the sports betting market.

Michal Kopec, head of M&A at Better Collective, said: “We see a lot of potential in the sports betting sector in Poland, and we are confident that with the 2018 World Cup around the corner, and new operators applying for Polish sport betting licences, we will be able to drive this business forward.”

Goal.pl Group is run by CEO Cezary Brzuzy and its assets are all built around sports journalism and sports content, much like Squawka in the UK, which was recently acquired by Catena Media.

Its biggest site, goal.pl, with domains including PrimeraDivision.pl and seriea.pl, has become one of Poland’s biggest and most trusted sources for European football news while the Group also owns wislakrakow.com, the biggest news site for fans of the Polish club.

Brzuzy said: “We have decided to sell our assets to Better Collective because we believe that together we will be able to further develop the websites belonging to Goal.pl Group.

“I am convinced that with the support of specialists working for Better Collective and their industry experience, our sites will become a more attractive place for both football fans and our business partners, including the legal bookmakers present in the Polish market.”