Groupe FDJ has disclosed to markets that it has entered ‘exclusive negotiations’ to acquire Aleda – the point-of-sale (POS) payments solutions provider for its Française des Jeux (FDJ) lottery network.

Updating investors, FDJ outlined that the acquisition of Aleda formed part of the group’s ‘tech development strategy’

Previous corporate updates have seen group leadership underscore that FDJ will seek to take control of all tech elements of its lottery and betting value chain, to better service retail merchants across France.   

Founded in 2005, Aleda POS solutions is reported to service more than 2,500 retail merchants and is further recognised as the preferred digital payment method for French tobacconists and kiosks.

Following its Paris EuroNext IPO at the end of 2019, a privatised FDJ began to develop its propriety payment unit. The strategy saw FDJ acquire payment partner BiMedia from venture capital firm ID-invest Partners for €50m at the beginning of 2020. 

The BiMedia transaction allowed FDJ to develop an exclusive platform for the gambling group to process payments for its network of +6,500 lottery POS merchants.

However, FDJ’s tech strategy would be derailed by the unforeseen circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic – which saw the company scale down operating and M&A costs during the course of 2020 and 2021.

FDJ did not disclose a financial valuation for Aleda, as the French gambling group will announce its interim H1 2022 results on 28 July.