Marc Peters, a co-founder and shareholder of Zeal Network, has publicly confirmed his support for the company’s planned takeover of Lotto24 – a deal that has been the subject of much criticism from Lottoland, which also holds a stake in Zeal.

In a statement, Zeal said it had today received a letter from Peters confirming “his firm intention to vote in favour of the resolutions” in the forthcoming General Meeting, scheduled for Friday, January 18.

Peters wrote: “Having reviewed the proposed transaction as well as the recent changes in the regulatory environment in detail, I have come to the conclusion that both the business model change as well as the proposed transaction with Lotto24 are the right way forward for the company.”

Zeal said it considers the endorsement as “further confirmation that the planned transformation of its business model in Germany to lottery brokerage and the creation of the leading private digital lottery broker in Germany through the combination with Lotto24 is the best strategy for the company.”

The letter follows a week of speculation, accusation and denial in a flurry of exchanges between Zeal and Lottoland, an outspoken critic of the deal. Pick up the trail here.