Tipico joins the Banijay era with Mate Bacic as CEO

(AsiaGameHub) –   Tipico Sportwetten has kicked off a new “leadership era”, with Mate Bacic taking over from Axel Hefer as Chief Executive Officer of the largest sports betting and iGaming brand operating in the DACH region.

This leadership transition follows Hefer’s decision to resign from the new leadership team of Banijay Gaming – the division established in April 2025, after Banijay Group finalized its €3 billion acquisition of Tipico.

Hefer’s exit comes after he fulfilled his remit of restructuring Tipico to position it for an eventual multi-billion-euro sale. During his three-year tenure, the company pulled out of the US market, selling its domestic US operations to MGM Resorts, and purchased Admiral Austria to boost its regional presence.

The business ultimately became an acquisition target itself, when its former private equity owner CVC Capital reached an agreement to sell Tipico to Banijay in October 2025.

Speaking about his departure, Hefer said: “I joined the Tipico Group nearly three years ago with one clear goal: to lay the groundwork for the company’s future international growth. Now that the sale to Banijay Group is complete, my work here has been successfully finished.

“I am fully confident that with Mate Bacic leading the company and as part of Banijay Gaming, Tipico is extremely well positioned for future success. I wish Mate and the entire team all the best in the coming years.”

New leadership steers the business into its next chapter

Bacic, who has held executive roles at Tipico for almost a decade, has been promoted to the CEO position from the group’s existing senior leadership ranks. 

As Managing Director of Tipico Retail Services, he played a key role in building and restructuring the operator’s land-based retail network, which now covers more than 1,250 outlets across Germany and Austria.

Most recently, he oversaw the integration of Admiral Austria into the wider group during his tenure as CEO of the Atlas Group. Before joining Tipico, Bacic held senior leadership positions at Telefónica Germany, bringing deep operational and commercial expertise to his new top role.

Discussing his new appointment, Bacic said: “I am thrilled to lead Tipico through this critical phase for the business. We have a powerful brand, a highly committed team, and trusted partners supporting us. Working alongside Banijay, we will speed up innovation efforts, invest in technology, and set new benchmarks for customer service.”

He added: “We aim to deliver the best and most secure experience possible for sports betting fans — both online and across our more than 1,250 retail shops. I also want to thank Axel for his reliable partnership and his significant contributions to putting Tipico in such a strong position for the future.”

Under the revised leadership structure, Nicolas Béraud, former Betclic CEO, will serve as Chairman of the Board of Banijay Gaming. Joachim Baca, Chairman and former CEO of Tipico, will act as Vice-Chairman of the Board.

Operational leadership roles across the group’s core brand portfolio have also been reshuffled, with Julien Brun, previously Chief Operational Officer, stepping into the role of CEO of Betclic.

Banijay’s leadership team has given its full endorsement to this internal succession, with Béraud stating: “Following the completion of Banijay Gaming’s acquisition of the Tipico Group, I am convinced that Mate, with his extensive industry experience, in-depth understanding of the Tipico Group, and strong leadership capabilities, will make a major contribution to building our large-scale European gaming platform.

“Axel was an exceptional partner throughout the Betclic/Tipico transaction, and I wish him all the best for the next chapter of his career.”