STS Group (the “Group”), a capital group headed by STS Holding S.A. (“STS Holding”, the “Company”), the largest sports betting operator in Poland1 with leading proprietary technology, announces that it has published its prospectus and has launched its initial public offering (the “Offering”).

The Maximum Price in the Offering has been set at PLN 26 per share.

As part of the Offering, investors will be able to acquire up to 46,874,998 existing shares in total. The book-building process among Institutional Investors will take place between 24.11 – 2.12.2021. Retail Investors may place orders for shares between 25.11 – 1.12.2021.

The Group is the largest licensed bookmaker in Poland by turnover1, and also operates on an international scale through licenses in the United Kingdom and Estonia, from where it offers its services on several additional markets. The Group’s portfolio of services includes sports betting, virtual sports, an online casino (outside of Poland), BetGames and a wide range of betting services relating to eSports.

The Polish sports betting industry is growing rapidly, and with a 46% share of the market, we are well-positioned to continue to outperform the market. According to H2 Gambling Capital data, by the end of 2025 the sports betting Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR1) in Poland is expected to increase to PLN 3.99 billion, up from PLN 1.88 billion at the end of 2020says Mateusz Juroszek, President of the Management Board of STS Holding.

In the first three quarters of this year we have already delivered a higher EBITDA than in the full years of 2020 or 2019. Our results prove our unique competitive advantages in this market. Due to our know-how and expertise, we not only continuously deliver strong growth in the value of amounts staked but also in terms of profitability. In addition, we constantly invest in the development of technology and the implementation of our “mobile-first” strategy. We continue to strengthen our competitive advantage by focusing on our proprietary state-of-the-art technology. The public offering is the next stage of the Group’s development, which will cement our position as the absolute market leader in Poland and will help drive brand recognition internationallysays Mateusz Juroszek.

DateAction
November 24 – December 2, 2021Book-building process among Institutional Investors
November 25 – December 1, 2021Accepting purchase orders from the Individual Investors (until December 1, 2021, 23:59 CET)
on or around December 3, 2021Publication of the Final Number of the Offer Shares offered in the Offering, the final number of the Offer Shares offered to particular categories of investors and the Final Price for the Offer Shares for Retail Investors and the Final Price for the Offer Shares for Institutional Investors
December 8,Allotment of the Offer Shares
on or around December 10, 2021Expected first day of trading of the Admitted Shares on the regulated market of the WSE

The Offering of STS Group

  • The Company intends to seek admission and listing of all of its shares for trading on the main market of the Warsaw Stock Exchange.
  • The Offering will comprise a public sale of up to 46,874,998 existing shares, i.e. 30% of the Company’s share capital, held by the Juroszek family, through the following entities: Juroszek Investments sp. z o.o., MJ Investments sp. z o.o. and Betplay Capital sp. z o.o. (jointly referred to as the “Selling Shareholders”).
  • Currently, all the shares in the Company are owned by the Selling Shareholders.
  • Mateusz Juroszek, key shareholder and the CEO, intends (together with his family) to retain a significant shareholding in the Company.
  • The Offering includes (i) a public offering in Poland (the “Public Offering in Poland”) comprising: (a) an offer to Retail Investors and (b) an offer to Institutional Investors; (ii) an offer in the United States to Qualified Institutional Buyers, as defined in, and in reliance on, Rule 144A, or another exemption from registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act; and (iii) an offer to certain Institutional Investors outside the United States and Poland, in accordance with Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act. The Public Offering in Poland will be conducted only on the territory of Poland.
  • As part of the offer, the Selling Shareholders intend to offer approximately 10% of the Offer Shares to Retail Investors. Retail Investors can submit purchase orders to buy the Company’s shares from 25 November 2021 to 1 December 2021 at the maximum price of PLN 26 per share (“Maximum Price”).
  • A single order submitted by a Retail Investor can be for at least 10 shares and for a maximum of 3,629,261 shares. One Retail Investor can place multiple purchase orders.
  • The Final Price of the Offer Shares for Retail Investors and the Final Price of the Offer Shares for Institutional Investors will be set upon completion of the book building process among Institutional Investors.
  • The Final Price of the Offer Shares for Retail Investors and the Final Price of the Offer Shares for Institutional Investors may differ. The Final Price of the Offer Shares for Retail Investors will not be higher than the Maximum Price. The Final Price of the Offer Shares for Institutional Investors may be set at a lever higher than the Maximum Price.
  • Goldman Sachs Bank Europe SE and UBS Europe SE will serve as Global Coordinators and Joint Bookrunners, and mBank S.A. (“mBank”), Powszechna Kasa Oszczędności Bank Polski Spółka Akcyjna Oddział – Biuro Maklerskie w Warszawie (“PKO BP”) and WOOD & Company Financial Services a.s. Spółka Akcyjna Oddział w Polsce are Joint Bookrunners.
  • mBank and PKO BP are also the investment firms intermediating in the public offering.
  • To make it easier for Retail Investors to participate in the Offering, a retail consortium has been formed. The list of members of the retail consortium in which orders for the Company’s shares will be accepted has been published on the Company’s website (www.stsholding.pl).
  • Following the Offering, the Company, its Selling Shareholders and Member of the Management Board will be subject to a lock-up agreement in respect of their shares – it will remain in effect for 360 days following the listing date.

For more information:

STS
Łukasz Borkowski
E-mail: [email protected]
phone +48 519 871 423

About STS Group

Founded in 1997, the Group is the largest bookmaking company in Poland, which also operates on the international market. The bookmaker is licensed in the UK and Estonia from where it offers services on several foreign markets. It offers betting products including sports betting, Esports, Virtual Sports, BetGames and online casino in select markets.

The Group provides online services via desktop and mobile websites, dedicated Android and iOS applications as well as approximately 400 retail betting ship across Poland. The Group is continuously improving its offering by, among others, providing more live bets and strengthening its leading position in the field of eSports. The bookmaker has also created its own withdrawal system – STSpay – allowing for quick transfers 24/7. The Group additionally owns Betsys – the company providing betting engine.

Thanks to the effective 24/7 customer service, the Group can respond to the increasing customer needs. The Company offers live broadcasts of sports events via STS TV, also available to users of mobile devices. Every month, the Company broadcasts nearly 5,000 sports events, including, among others, football, tennis, volleyball, basketball and other sports.

The Group is actively involved in supporting Polish sport, being the largest private entity on the domestic sponsorship market. The company is the official sponsor of the Polish national football team, the strategic sponsor of Lech Poznań, the main sponsor of Jagiellonia Białystok as well as the official sponsor of Cracovia, Pogoń Szczecin, Górnik Łęczna, Zagłębie Lubin, the Polish Volleyball League and other sports clubs and associations. The Group is also committed to supporting eSports.

The online channels are supplemented by modern betting shops, c. 400 of them located in every major city in Poland – which additionally increase our brand recognition. The Group employs over 1,500 people.

In February 2019, the Group began operations outside of Poland – the bookmaker obtained a license in the United Kingdom and subsequently in Estonia, from where it offers services on several other markets. The Group was the first Polish bookmaker to start operations abroad. In addition, the Group is present in the Czech Republic (Betsys) and Malta. Moreover, the Group is looking at the Dutch market and is considering applying for a gambling license in that country. The Group’s focus remains on Poland, but the Group expects that its international product offering, including the online casino, will grow its contribution to the Group’s operations in the future. The Company does not rule out interest in entering new markets, as well as the commercialisation of the Betsys system in order to offer it to other bookmaking operators in Central and Eastern Europe in countries where the Group does not operate.

NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN, SOUTH AFRICA OR ANY OTHER STATE OR JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL.

This announcement is an advertisement and not a prospectus for the purpose of the EU Regulation 2017/1129 and as such does not constitute or form part of and should not be construed as an offer, solicitation or invitation to sell or issue, or an offer, solicitation or invitation to, subscribe for, underwrite, buy or otherwise acquire, securities of the Company or any of its subsidiaries in any jurisdiction, or an inducement/recommendation to enter into investment activity in any jurisdiction. When approved by the relevant Polish financial supervision authority the prospectus prepared in connection with the public offering and admission and introduction of the Company’s securities to trading on the Warsaw Stock Exchange will be the sole legally binding document containing information on the Company and the offering of its securities. A copy of the prospectus will, following approval and publication, be available from the Company’s website at https://stsholding.pl, subject to applicable securities regulations.

This announcement does not constitute an advertisement of bookmaking services or STS S.A. within the meaning of Polish Gambling Act of November 19, 2009. STS Holding S.A. is the parent company of the group, which provides bookmaking and other gambling services. STS S.A., which is a subsidiary of STS Holding S.A., is a bookmaker licensed in Poland.

Disclaimer 

This press release is for information purposes only and will under no circumstances constitute the basis for a decision to invest in the shares of STS Holding S.A. (the “Company”) and as such does not constitute or form part of and should not be construed as an offer, solicitation or invitation to sell or issue, or an offer, solicitation or invitation to, subscribe for, underwrite, buy or otherwise acquire securities of the Company or any of its subsidiaries in any jurisdiction, or an inducement/recommendation to enter into investment activity in any jurisdiction. Neither this press release nor any part hereof, nor the fact of its distribution or issuance, shall form the basis of, or be relied on in connection with any contract, commitment or investment decision whatsoever. The prospectus (the “Prospectus”) prepared in connection with the public offering and admission and introduction of the Company’s securities to trading on the Warsaw Stock Exchange will be the sole legally binding document containing information on the Company and the offering of its securities in Poland (the “Offering”). The Company will be authorised to carry out the Offering to the public in Poland following: (i) approval by the KNF (Komisja Nadzoru Finansowego), the relevant Polish financial supervision authority, of the Prospectus; and (ii) publication of the Prospectus in accordance with the relevant provisions of EU and Polish regulations. For the purposes of the Offering in Poland and admission and introduction of the Company’s securities to trading on the Warsaw Stock Exchange, once approved, the Company will make the Prospectus available on its website in accordance with relevant EU and Polish regulations. Any investment in connection with the Offering should be made solely on the basis of the information which will be contained in the approved and published Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto. The Prospectus, when published, may contain information that differs from the information contained in this press release. The financial information included in this press release is based on the unaudited financial statements of the Company and therefore may be subject to change.

This press release is not for distribution or use by any person or entity in any jurisdiction where such distribution or use would be contrary to local law or regulation or which would subject the Company or any of its affiliates to authorisation, notification, licensing or other registration requirements under applicable laws. Distribution of this press release and other information connected to the Offering may be restricted by law and persons into whose possession any document or other information referred to herein comes should inform themselves about and observe any such restrictions. Any failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. It may be unlawful to distribute this press release in certain jurisdictions. This press release is not for distribution in the United States, Australia, Canada and Japan. Acquiring securities to which this press release refers may expose an investor to a significant risk of losing all of the amount invested. Persons considering investment should consult an authorised person specialising in advising on such investments. This material does not constitute an investment recommendation within the meaning of the Market Abuse Regulation (Regulation (EU) 596/2014) and of the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/958 of 9 March 2016 supplementing the Market Abuse Regulation with regard to regulatory technical standards for the technical arrangements for objective presentation of investment recommendations or other information recommending or suggesting an investment strategy and for disclosure of particular interests or indications of conflicts of interest. Statements contained herein may constitute “forward-looking statements”. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by the use of certain words, including but not limited to: “may”, “will”, “should”, “plan”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “believe”, “intend”, “project”, “goal” or “target” or the negative of these words or other variations on these words or comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause the Company’s or its industry’s actual financial condition, results of operations or performance to be materially different from any future financial condition, results of operations or performance expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and the Company does not undertake to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements that may be made herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. In the United Kingdom this press release is being distributed and is directed only at “qualified investors” within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the Prospectus Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2017/1129) as it forms part of UK domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 who: (i) have professional experience in matters relating to investments and who fall within the definition of “investment professionals” in Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the “Order”); or (ii) are high net worth entities and other persons to whom such communication may otherwise lawfully be made falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as the “Relevant Persons”). This press release must not be acted on or relied on by persons who are not the Relevant Persons. Any investment or investment activity to which this communication relates is available only to the Relevant Persons and will be engaged in only with the Relevant Persons. Persons distributing this communication must satisfy themselves that it is lawful to do so. The securities will be available only to, and any invitation, offer or agreement to subscribe, purchase or otherwise acquire such securities will be only with, Relevant Persons. With respect to member states of the European Union other than the United Kingdom, this press release is directed only at, and the securities referred to herein will be offered only to, qualified investors within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the EU Regulation 2017/1129, such persons being referred to as the “Qualified Investors”) and/or in other circumstances falling within Article 1 section 4 of the Prospectus Regulation. Any such Qualified Investor will also be deemed to have represented and agreed that any such securities acquired by it in the Offering have not been acquired on behalf of persons other than such Qualified Investors. This press release is not an offer of securities for sale in the United States. The securities to which this press release relate have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration or in a transaction not subject to the registration requirements of the Securities Act. There will be no public offering of the securities in the United States. This announcement is not directed at or intended to be accessible by persons located in the United States (including its territories and possessions, any state of the United States and the District of Columbia), other than to “qualified institutional buyers” within the meaning of Rule 144A under the Securities Act or pursuant to another exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act.

Goldman Sachs Bank Europe SE, UBS Europe SE, Powszechna Kasa Oszczędności Bank Polski Spółka Akcyjna Oddział – Biuro Maklerskie w Warszawie, mBank S.A. and WOOD &Company Financial Services a.s. Spółka Akcyjna Oddział w Polsce (collectively the “Managers”), are acting exclusively for the Company and the selling shareholders and no-one else in connection with the offering referred to herein. They will not regard any other person as their respective clients in relation to such offering and will not be responsible to anyone other than the Company and the selling shareholders for providing the protections afforded to their respective clients, nor for providing advice in connection with the offering referred to herein or any other matter, transaction or arrangement referred to herein. None of the Managers or any of their respective directors, officers, employees, advisers or agents accepts any responsibility or liability whatsoever for/or makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the truth, accuracy or completeness of the information in this material (or whether any information has been omitted from the material) or any other information relating to the Company, the selling shareholders or their subsidiaries or associated companies, whether written, oral or in a visual or electronic form, and howsoever transmitted or made available or for any loss howsoever arising from any use of this material or its contents or otherwise arising in connection therewith.