Karel Komárek
Profile Verified by The Marque
Last Updated: 22 Sep 2026
Founder and Chairman of the Board
Val de Bagnes, CH
Profile Verified by The Marque
Last Updated: 22 Sep 2026
THE MARQUE
In Their Own Right
Biography
Karel Komárek is an entrepreneur and philanthropist who founded the global investment group KKCG three decades ago.
KKCG’s diverse portfolio includes some of Europe’s fastest-growing businesses, with leading positions in lottery and entertainment, energy, tech, and real estate. KKCG and its portfolio companies employ over 16,000 people across 40+ countries. Drawing from its own capital, and expertise from across the group, KKCG businesses are positioned for long-term, sustainable growth.
Driving KKCG’s long-term strategy, Karel has spent 30+ years building successful businesses. His entrepreneurial journey began in post-Velvet Revolution Czechoslovakia, where, in 1992, he founded an industrial valves wholesale business, using it as a stepping stone to the energy sector.
In 2011, under Karel’s leadership, KKCG rescued Sazka, the Czech lottery operator, from near bankruptcy. He later formed Sazka Group, which rebranded as Allwyn – now the global lottery operator of choice, with leading positions in the UK, US (Illinois), Greece & Cyprus, Austria, Italy, and the Czech Republic.
Beyond lottery-led entertainment, KKCG includes the MND Group, a producer and supplier of traditional & renewable energy in Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, and Ukraine; Aricoma & Avenga, a global IT service and custom software provider and KKCG Real Estate Group, a key player in Central European commercial, industrial, and residential projects.
Karel is committed to lasting impact commercially and charitably. With his wife, Štěpánka Komárková, he co-founded the Karel Komárek Family Foundation (KKFF), supporting community development, urban transformation, and arts education.
A dedicated patron of the arts, Karel is a former co-chair of the Kennedy Center International Committee on the Arts and co-founder of the Dvořák Prague Music Festival.
Challenging the status quo, he co-founded More Than Equal in 2022, an initiative seeking the first female F1 World Champion.
The Record
Background
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Present
Founder and Chairman of the Board
KKCG
KKCG is an innovative global investment group sporting a large portfolio of companies across various industries in more than 40 countries.
In The News
Newsfeed
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24 August 2026 · BENEWS
KKCG Real Estate Group completes £291m West End office deal
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22 July 2026 · Newswise
Research Partnership to Advance Understanding of Female Driver Ergonomics in Formula 4
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25 June 2026 · Komárek Family Foundation
Karel Komárek becomes an honorary citizen of HodonÃn
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2 June 2026 · LinkedIn
Czechia Summit | The future competitiveness and prosperity of the Czech Republic
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26 May 2026 · National Museum of the Czech Republic
ARK III in Ukraine: National Museum of the Czech Republic Donates Digitization Station
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14 April 2026 · The Standard
National Lottery unveils new Powerball game and biggest change to main draw
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8 April 2026 · Forbes
New American Team To Challenge For The America’s Cup
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1 April 2026 · Fortune
An Athens listing has created the world’s second largest gaming company
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25 March 2026 · Radio Prague International
Prague’s National Museum sends mobile 3D digitization lab to Ukraine to protect cultural heritage
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20 March 2026 · The Times
National Lottery group gets the numbers right as profits rise
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5 March 2026 · Baird Maritime
Italian Government approves KKCG Maritime tender offer for Ferretti shares
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24 February 2026 · KKCG
Karel Komárek: We stand with Ukraine
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19 January 2026 · Reuters
Ferretti's Czech investor KKCG seeks to up stake, overhaul board
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16 January 2026 · SBC Americas
Allwyn closes $1.5B acquisition of majority stake in PrizePicks
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13 January 2026 · Autosport
Five drivers join More Than Equal development programme
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11 December 2025 · LIGA.net
Ukraine sells two oil and gas permits for nearly UAH 1.3 billion at state auctions
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26 November 2025 · The Times
Britain and US in race for Allwyn listing
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13 November 2025 · Bloomberg
UK Fintech Zilch Raises $177 Million, Eyes Takeover Opportunities
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16 October 2025 · Financial Times
Meet Karel Komárek, the Czech gambling billionaire making a play for the US
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13 October 2025 · The Independent
National Lottery operator Allwyn unveils tie-up to create £14bn gaming giant
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13 October 2025 · Reuters
Czech billionaire's Allwyn and OPAP create $18.6 billion lottery powerhouse
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22 September 2025 · Reuters
Allwyn buys $1.6-billion stake in fantasy sports operator PrizePicks to expand in US
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28 August 2025 · KKCG
KKCG sells stake in its multi-national entertainment business Allwyn
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21 March 2025 · ESPN
F1 Academy reaffirms commitment to female F1 driver with development partnership
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7 March 2025 · PWM
Investors see opportunities in Ukraine’s defence, construction and energy sectors
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16 February 2025 · Euromaidan Press
Russia destroying Ukraine’s cultural heritage is not a bug—it’s a feature of Putin’s war
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12 February 2025 · McLaren
Allwyn and McLaren Racing announce partnership
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11 February 2025 · Formula 1
Formula 1 welcomes Allwyn as new Official Partner
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13 June 2024 · Reuters
Czech billionaire bets on lotteries for growth
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21 January 2024 · Diplomatic Courier
The AI question we should be asking
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15 August 2019 · Czech Radio
Tycoon Komárek looking West with huge new IT firm
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In Frame
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Areas Of Focus