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Betsson Ab Interim Report April – June 2020
Group revenue was SEK 1,532.8 (1,277.7) million, an increase of 20% with an organic increase of 12%.
Casino revenue increased by 40%. Sportsbook revenue decreased by 34% and the sportsbook margin was 6.9% (7.8%).
Operating income (EBIT) was SEK 217.7 (196.9) million.
The EBIT margin was 14.2% (15.4%).
Operating cash flow was 343.9 (390.6) million.
SIGNIFICANT EVENTS AND OUTLOOK
Acquisition of GiG’s B2C vertical completed.
New market entries into Colorado (USA) and Kenya.
The AGM in June resolved on dividend paid to shareholders in July of SEK 2.88 per share, corresponding to SEK 393.6 million.
The daily average revenue in the third quarter 2020 until 16 July was 35% (23% organic) higher than the average daily revenue of the full third quarter 2019.
CEO COMMENT
“I am proud that Betsson has delivered all-time high revenues under the most challenging conditions.”
“The second quarter was strong and followed the positive trend from the start of the year despite market challenges during this extraordinary period. The global pandemic had immediate effect on the Company from March onwards. We responded quickly and decisively to make changes in the offer, and I am particularly pleased to see the strong performance in casino. Sports betting revenues continued to be impacted in the second quarter by the pandemic as expected, however benefited from the progressive return of football and other sporting events at the end of the quarter. Our business has remained financially robust and resilient to this impact, being both diversified and flexible.
Our key focus areas remain the health and safety of both our employees and the societies in which we operate. Early on, we proactively took actions to enable both a safe and effective working environment for the whole Group and to ensure delivery of products and services to customers with uninterrupted quality.
From March to date, we have seen many changes in habits of how people work, interact, shop and enjoy entertainment, many enabled by advancements in technology and the use of digital devices. We believe the ongoing transition from offline to online has been further accelerated as a consequence of the global lockdowns. This will benefit the strategic direction of our business both short and long term.
In the quarter, we continued executing our strategic priorities, pushing through projects in accordance with the strategic plan. Betsson successfully completed the acquisition of the B2C operation from GiG and remotely onboarded approximately 60 new colleagues. We signed an agreement with Dostal Alley Casino in Colorado to enter the high-potential US market. Initially, we will start with B2C sports betting in the state of Colorado, with the ambition to sell our proprietary sportsbook to B2B customers in the future. In this quarter, we have also taken the first steps into Kenya by partnering with local partners. After the quarter, we have taken further steps to strengthen our position in South America where Betsson has expanded its presence in the only regulated market by acquiring 70% of the Colombian based operator Colbet. This deal will give us access to the Colombian market for online sport betting and casino.
The majority of our employees have been working from home and in the true `One Betsson’ spirit, we have all continued striving towards creating the best user experiences. This has been delivered through the full dedication of the teams, enabled by the quality of both our technical infrastructure and digital content. I am enormously proud of and thankful to all our people for their continued hard work and commitment to keeping the business momentum.
During this pandemic, governments have been modelling a range of scenarios of potential impact, several governments took immediate temporary actions on our industry such as either suspending gambling both offline and online or implementing restrictions on marketing. In the beginning of the third quarter, when most countries had removed Corona-related restrictions, Sweden sadly enough implemented restrictions on online casino, without empirical evidence. This measure will unfortunately push even more consumers to play outside of the Swedish regulation.
The immediate outlook is naturally uncertain, however Betsson is in good shape and we are in it for the long term. Our proprietary technology is a strategic advantage, our diversification in markets, verticals and brands makes us resilient to market fluctuations and our financials are rock solid. This makes me optimistic about the prospects for Betsson.”
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SIS and Premier Greyhound Racing reveal improved greyhound race time schedule
Sports Information Services (SIS), the leading multi-content supplier of 24/7 live betting services, and Premier Greyhound Racing (PGR), the media rights company supplier of greyhound racing to the betting industry and direct to viewers, have collaborated to offer a revised race time schedule starting from 20 May.
Designed to protect the long-term future of UK greyhound racing, the new schedule will see morning fixtures start slightly later – moving from 10.47 to 11.01 and 10.54 to 11.09. Additionally, there will also be a slightly later start time for some evening fixtures aimed at a retail audience, with the first evening fixture now starting at 18.08.
Commenting on the improved schedule, Terry Mahoney, Head of Business Development at ARC, said: “The new race times will help make it easier for customers to navigate busy racing schedules as well as improving operations trackside. We will continue to listen, monitor, and adapt schedules where and when needed as we move forward to deliver the best service possible for betting operators as well as punters.”
Paul Witten, Managing Director at SIS, added: “We are passionate about delivering a greyhound racing service that benefits all of the sport’s stakeholders. Together with Premier Greyhound Raxing, we have introduced a revised racing schedule that benefits operators and their customers.
“Our approach to greyhound racing is grounded in sustainability and flexibility. This collaboration with fellow service providers allows everyone to enjoy all the high-quality action produced on a daily basis from tracks across the UK and Ireland.”
SIS has long-term agreements in place with bet365, William Hill, Paddy Power and Betfred to deliver its greyhound content across UK and Irish retail and digital channels. SIS also promotes this content across dozens of leading international operators, as well as through SISRacing.tv.
PGR offers greyhound action, cards, video replays, results, news and info on greyhounds.attheraces.com, and regular live broadcasts on Sky Sports Racing. Premier Greyhound Racing is a joint venture between Arena Racing (ARC) and Entain, the global sports betting, gaming and interactive entertainment group. Between them, the two companies own nine of the 20 licensed British greyhound tracks and ARC manage the media rights for five independent tracks.
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PRAGMATIC PLAY HITS THE SWEET SPOT WITH FRUITY TREATS
Pragmatic Play, a leading content supplier to the iGaming industry, has added Fruity Treats to its collection of clusters pays Slots.
Five or more fruit symbols must connect horizontally or vertically to award a win in this vibrant 7×7 title, which features a variation of the popular multiplier spots mechanic.
At the start of each spin, four marked spots of different colours take up random positions on the grid. If a win forms over a marked spot, a starting multiplier of 5x, 10x, 15x or 20x (depending on the spot colour) will be activated. Each time a winning combination lands on a marked spot after a tumble, the multiplier is applied to the win and then increases by its starting value.
Hitting at least three candy scatters on a spin awards entry to the bonus game with 10 free spins. During the feature, which can be retriggered with five additional free spins, activated multipliers from marked spots do not reset between free spins, potentially leading to massive wins.
Fruity Treats is the latest cluster pays Slot in Pragmatic Play’s multi-award-winning range, joining recent hit Sugar Rush 1000.
Irina Cornides, Chief Operating Officer at Pragmatic Play, said: “The roaming multiplier spots feature in Fruity Treats sets it apart from other successful cluster pays Slots in the Pragmatic Play portfolio, with marked spots staying sticky in the bonus game for even greater win potential.”
Pragmatic Play currently produces up to eight new Slot titles a month, while also delivering Live Casino and Bingo games as part of its multi-product portfolio, available through a single API.
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Kambi’s Festival of Sportsbook returns for fourth year
Kambi’s Festival of Sportsbook returns in June with registrations now open for a two-day content series featuring speakers from across the Kambi Group and insights covering the full breadth of the industry.
Taking place between 4-5 June, the Festival will be comprised of online sessions taking in topics ranging from UX optimisation and harnessing AI to maximising a summer of soccer featuring both UEFA Euro 2024 and the Copa América.
Erik Lögdberg, Managing Director of Kambi Sportsbook, will open the Festival with a session entitled ‘Exceptional, everywhere: meeting the increasingly high standards of an evolving market’, discussing how operators can develop their sportsbook to navigate changing consumer habits and fragmenting markets.
Kambi’s Head of Legal and Regulatory Compliance, Victoria Fernandes, will also be joined by Partner Success Manager Sabrina Andrade for a Portuguese language session delving into Brazil and how local operators can compete in the soon-to-be-regulated market.
Gerard Starkey, Kambi Group’s SVP of Marketing & Communications, said: “We are excited to once again be welcoming the industry to Kambi’s Festival of Sportsbook, and we look forward to sharing the sportsbook insights and knowledge the event has become known for. As ever, the agenda features a broad range of sessions hosted by experts from across the Kambi Group, providing plenty to interest those working in or with the sports betting industry today.”
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