Industry News
SciPlay Reports Q4 and Full Year 2019 Results
SciPlay Corporation has reported its Q4 and full-year results of 2019.
The Q4 revenue was $112.9 million, which included a negative $6.3 million impact from an out of period adjustment recorded during the fourth quarter versus $113.7 million in the prior year period. Mobile revenue was $98.2 million including a negative $2.4 million from the same adjustment.
Net income was $28.6 million including a negative $3.6 million impact from the adjustment mentioned above. Net income margin was 25.3%, up from $18.7 million and 16.4%.
AEBITDA was $32.1 million, including a negative $4.4 million impact from the adjustment mentioned above, an increase of 31.0%, AEBITDA margin, a non-GAAP financial measure defined below, was 28.4%, an increase of 690 bps.
Net cash provided by operating activities was $32.7 million reflecting strong results and includes a $3.0 million payment related to contingent acquisition consideration. Cash and cash equivalents increased $29.3 million to $110.6 million from the third quarter of 2019.
During 2019, revenue grew 11.9% to $465.8 million, beating the market growth rate of 8.1% estimated by Eilers and Krejcik. Full-year revenue included a negative $4.2 million adjustment in the fourth quarter to correct data errors from inception through 2018.
Net income increased $54.5 million to $93.5 million during 2019, which includes a negative $2.3 million impact from the adjustment described above. Net income margin of 20.1%, was up from 9.4%.
AEBITDA was $122.3 million during 2019, including a negative $2.9 million impact from the adjustment described above, an increase of 30.1%, and AEBITDA margin, a non-GAAP financial measure defined below, was 26.3%, an increase of 370 bps.
Net cash provided by operating activities was $93.0 million reflecting strong results and includes $25.2 million of payments related to contingent acquisition consideration. Cash and cash equivalents increased by over $100 million to $110.6 million as of year-end 2019.
Payer conversion rates remained strong at 6.0%. The average monthly revenue per paying user increased 15.3% to $88.06. ARPDAU increased 8.7% from the prior-year period to $0.50. Mobile penetration increased 300 basis points from the prior year to 84%.
Josh Wilson, Chief Executive Officer of SciPlay, said, âWe grew our annual revenue by 12%, beating the market growth rate by nearly 1.5 times, and delivered a 30% increase in AEBITDA. We increased ARPDAU 9% to $0.50 and average monthly revenue per payer increased 15% to a quarterly record of $88.06. We believe we are in the very early stages of a multi-year revenue growth and earnings expansion cycle at SciPlay, and we couldn’t be more excited by our future prospects and opportunities.â
Mike Cody, Chief Financial Officer of SciPlay, added, âThe strong profitability and cash generation this quarter highlight the strength of our evergreen franchises and business model. We are excited about our organic opportunities as well as the flexibility we have through our balance sheet to explore other avenues of growth.â
Industry News
Dutch Mental Health Care Calls for Total Ban on Online Gambling Advertising
The Dutch mental health service is calling for a total ban on online gambling advertisements in the Netherlands.
Although a ban on untargeted gambling advertisements and a ban on the use of role models has been in effect since 2023, a recent research by KRO-NCRVâs Pointer shows that (illegal) gambling companies and sports tipster platforms are still enticing young people via social media such as TikTok and Snapchat.
By using influencers and terms like âfree moneyâ, they try to attract a young audience and thus lower the threshold to start gambling. This concerns both legal online casinos and online casinos that do not have a license in the Netherlands. The Gaming Authority has started an investigation based on Pointerâs findings.
Pointerâs research shows that part of the gambling industry deliberately targets young people who are often susceptible to promises such as âfast moneyâ and the influence of role models. Ruth Peetoom, chair of the Dutch mental health service, compares this approach to that of the tobacco industry, where similar marketing strategies were used to get young people to smoke.
Despite the existing advertising ban, gambling companies continue to explore the boundaries of the law, according to Peetoom. The Dutch mental health and addiction care associations in the Netherlands therefore push for a total ban on online gambling advertising and stricter rules for the duty of care of gambling providers.
With the call for a total ban, the Dutch mental health care sector hopes to prevent further normalisation of gambling behaviour among young people and to protect them from the temptation and consequences of online gambling.
Compliance Updates
UKGC: Market impact data on gambling behaviour – operator data to Oct 2024
The Gambling Commission has published further data on the gambling industry in Great Britain.
This data, sourced from operators, reflects the period between March 2020 and September 2024, inclusive, and covers online and in-person gambling covering Licensed Betting Operators (LBOs) found on Britainâs high streets.
Comparison should not be made with the industry statistics dataset, as this dataset may include free bets and bonuses and does not include data from all operators.
This release compares Quarter 2 (Q2) of financial year 2024 to 2025, with Q2 of 2023 to 2024, looking at how the market has changed in comparative periods over a year.
The latest operator data shows:
- online total Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) in Q2 (July to September) was ÂŁ1.32 billion, an increase of 11 percent from Q2 the previous year. The overall number of total bets and/or spins increased 12 percent Year-on-Year (YoY), reaching a new peak for the third consecutive quarter of 25.2 billion, whilst the average monthly active accounts2 in the quarter increased 8 percent
- real event betting GGY increased by 6 percent YoY to ÂŁ453 million. The number of bets decreased 10 percent, while the average monthly active accounts in Q2 increased 9 percent
- slots GGY increased 16 percent to ÂŁ680 million YoY. The number of spins increased 13 percent to 23.3 billion while the average monthly active accounts in Q2 increased 16 percent to 4.4 million per month. Although this is a new peak for GGY in this dataset for the slots vertical, it should be noted that one operator has re-classified some of its products into the slot vertical this quarter, which has had an impact on the vertical data
- the number of online slots sessions lasting longer than an hour increased by 9 percent YoY to 10 million. The average session length remained at 17 minutes. Approximately 6.1 percent of all sessions lasted more than one hour compared to 6.6 percent in Q2 the previous year. The number of spins per session has fallen from 147 to 142 YOY, whilst the GGY per session has fallen from ÂŁ4.20 to ÂŁ4.13 in the equivalent timeframe
- LBO GGY decreased by 1 percent to ÂŁ533 million in Q2 2024 to 2025, compared to the same quarter last year, while the number of total bets and spins decreased by 0.1 percent to 3.1 billion.
Industry News
Petra Maria Poola Joins Xace as Group Commercial Director
Xace has announced that Petra Maria Poola has joined the company as Group Commercial Director.
Petra brings a wealth of experience from the iGaming industry having formerly held roles at several iGaming companies such as Yolo, Relax Gaming and SiGMA. She will lead the commercial growth of Xace and its group companies, including crypto and iGaming focused xda.io, helping to drive strategic initiatives across banking, fintech and iGaming solutions.
In her new role, she will mainly oversee the growth of the groupâs sales, marketing and account management functions, ensuring a cohesive strategy that supports Xaceâs ambitious expansion plans.
âI am incredibly excited to start this new chapter with Xace, and work alongside such a talented team and management. Transitioning into the fintech space, while still connected to iGaming, presents an exciting opportunity for growth and learning. Iâm looking forward to applying my expertise to help Xace and its group companies achieve new heights commercially, while gaining deeper insights into the fast-evolving world of fintech,â said Petra Maria Poola.
Reuben Abel, CEO of Xace, said: âPetraâs extensive background in the iGaming sector, combined with her commercial acumen, makes her a valuable addition to the Xace team. She will play a crucial role in expanding Xaceâs market presence and enhancing its suite of services tailored to the specific needs of the iGaming and fintech industries.â
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