Fox Buys $236 Million Stars Group Stake to Enter Betting Market

  • Media company purchases 4.99% interest and launches Fox Bet
  • Fox has option to acquire half of U.S. business in a decade

Photographer: Alex Trautwig/Getty Images 

Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

Fox Corp. is buying 4.99% of gaming giant Stars Group Inc. and starting its own sports wagering platform -- by far the biggest media investment yet in the burgeoning U.S. sports-betting market.

The media company controlled by Rupert Murdoch and his family will pay $236 million for its stake in Toronto-based Stars, which last year bought Sky Betting & Gaming for $4.7 billion, Stars Chief Executive Officer Rafi Ashkenazi said in an interview.