Eddie Jordan has withdrawn from making a potential offer to buy British gambling software maker Playtech plc (LSE:PTEC), a company related to the Irish businessman said on January 21, 2022. Jordan's JKO Play consortium, also led by former Scientific Games executive Keith O'Loughlin, does not plan to make an offer for Playtech, after approaching here the company in November while other suitors were also circling the London-listed firm. Playtech's shares were down 14.4% at 625 pence in early trade.

In a brief statement on January 21, 2022, Jordan's FTB Ltd. did not give details on why JKO had pulled out of the running for the gambling software maker. JKO owns 0.51% of Playtech, FTB said. The report added that JKO was set to propose an offer of 750 pence per share for Playtech, citing three people involved in the process.

JKO's approach followed here a GBP 2.1 billion ($2.86 billion) bid by Aristocrat Leisure Limited (ASX:ALL), whose 680-pence-per-share offer was recommended by Playtech once again on January 21, 2022. In a separate statement, Playtech said on January 21, 2022 it was speaking to shareholders about the Aristocrat offer, saying “a number of material investors have not to date engaged meaningfully about their views on the Aristocrat offer”. Gopher Investments, Playtech's No.

2 shareholder, also walked away here from a takeover battle for the company in November, choosing instead to focus on a separate deal here to buy Playtech's trading unit.