The talks to buy out the lodging division of Hilton Group by Hilton Hotels have finally settled now that a deal has been officially announced.  The successful U.S. based hotel chain purchased the UK based Hilton Group's hotel and hospitality line for $5.67 billion, which many analysts are saying was a win-win situation for both companies.  Hilton Hotels acquired over 400 hotels throughout the world operated  by Hilton Group, which at the selling price, was over eleven times the projected earnings for the Hilton Group next year.

The deal means that Hilton Group can now put even more focus on their main asset - Ladbrokes.  A highly recognizable gambling brand in the UK, Ladbrokes covers both the land-based and online betting industries.  Their website provides gamblers access to online casino games, sports betting, poker, greyhound and horse bets, as well as many others.  Building off of a current drive to expand with more gambling shops in the UK, it is expected that Ladbrokes will be using a good portion of the revenue made on the sale to expand its online presence and brand as well.

Under the domain of Hilton Group, the independent Ladbrokes Plc is sitting in a powerful position at this time.  There have already been three confirmed offers to buy them out from the likes of CVC Capital, BC Partners and Blackstone, although no specific numbers were reported as of yet.  CEO designate of Ladbrokes, Christopher Bell, said there has been no pressure to do a deal, and that all there was at this point was serious interest.

It seems that at this time Hilton Group will be holding onto Ladbrokes and doing all it can to take advantage of the newly relaxed online casino laws enacted by the UK Gambling Bill.  In the meantime, not much change has taken place in top management positions.  Ian Robinson will continue serving as Chairman, while a new Finance Director, Rosemary Thorne, will step up in the ranks.