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Betting Shops in England Eligible for Grants of up to £6000 a Site in £5B Recovery Plan

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Betting Shops in England Eligible for Grants of up to £6000 a Site in £5B Recovery Plan
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The UK Betting & Gaming Council (BGC) has welcomed the announcement ahead of Wednesday’s Budget that non-essential retail businesses such as betting shops will be eligible for direct cash grants of up to £6000 per site, although the bookmaker trade body has reiterated its call for an extension of business rates relief for a further year.

Details of the grant scheme came as part of a series of announcements ahead of Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s annual budget speech, in which he is set to reveal a new grant scheme totalling £5 billion to aid the recovery of high-street businesses in England.

Nearly 700,000 shops, restaurants, hotels, hair salons, gyms and other businesses in England will be eligible for “restart grants,” to be distributed directly to firms by local authorities from April. It will replace the current monthly grant system.

Under the budget plans, non-essential retail will be eligible for direct cash grants of up to £6000 to help them start trading again when allowed to do so, while hospitality, accommodation, leisure, personal care and gym businesses in England – which will remain closed for longer under the government’s roadmap out of lockdown – will be able to apply for grants of £18,000 per site.

“The BGC would warmly welcome any additional support for betting shops, be that business rates or grants, particularly giving the pressure independent betting shops are under,” a spokesman for the BGC said.

Racecourses and bookmakers in England were given a clear set of dates to work towards for reopening last week when prime minister Boris Johnson gave the first details of a timetable for leaving lockdown.

Non-essential retail, which has for most of the pandemic included betting shops, will form part of phase two of the plan, with April 12 the provisional date for reopening if vaccination rates rise and hospitalisations drop sufficiently.

BGC chief executive Michael Dugher has written to Sunak ahead of the budget setting out a five-point plan for more business support to “unlock the power of the high street and drive economic growth.”

Dugher said in his letter: “With premises shut for much of the past year, this would help protect jobs and remove a major financial pressure on businesses that have suffered a significant loss of income during the pandemic.”

Dugher pointed to the fact that licensed betting offices had been severely impacted by the various regional and national lockdowns over the past ten months, with revenues for this sector falling by 45% in 2020.

The letter also seeks assurance that funding for devolved administrations is made available to all business sectors in need. While businesses in England and Northern Ireland have benefited from business rates relief since last April, the Scottish and Welsh governments took the decision not to provide support for gambling companies.

“The UK Government’s backing for business stands in stark contrast to the refusal of the devolved administrations in Wales and Scotland to offer business rates relief to our members,” states the letter.

“This has sadly had a disproportionate impact on our smaller independent businesses, many of them family run, which have faced making staff redundant and an uncertain future.”

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INTRALOT announces strong EBITDA growth +29.2% y-o-y and positive Earnings after Tax at €3.1m in 1Q23

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INTRALOT SA (RIC: INLr.AT, Bloomberg: INLOT GA), an international gaming solutions and operations leader, announces its financial results for the threemonth period ended March 31st, 2023, prepared in accordance with IFRS.

OVERVIEW

  • Group Revenue at €89.5m (8.4% yoy).
  • EBITDA at €33.7m (+29.2% yoy) in 1Q23, with EBITDA margin reaching 37.7% from 26.7% in 1Q22.
  • LTM EBITDA at €130.5m, up by 6.2% vs. FY22.
  • Substantial growth in our US operations (Revenues +13.1%, EBITDA +31.6% yoy).
  • EBT in 1Q23 shaped at 10.9m vs. €2.3m in 1Q22.
  • NIATMI (Net Income After Tax and Minority Interest) at 3.1m, vs. €5.7m a year ago.
  • Operating Cash Flow at €37.2m in 1Q23 (+115.3% yoy).
  • Group Net CAPEX in 1Q23 was €7.2m.
  • Group Cash at the end of 1Q23 at €109.2m, €6.8m higher vs. Dec22.
  • Net Debt at €471.6m at the end of 1Q23, lower by 18.9m vs. Dec22 and €29.0m vs. 1Q22.
  • Net Debt/ LTM EBITDA at 3.6x in 1Q23 vs. 4.0x in FY22.

Group Headline Figures

INTRALOT Chairman & CEO Sokratis P. Kokkalis noted:

We are extremely proud of first quarter robust organic Ebitda growth of 29% and a return to Net Earnings, along with healthy cash flows and significant reduction of Group Net Leverage Ratio down to 3.6x, providing additional momentum to INTRALOT’s successful turnaround story as a result of our consistent efforts in the past few years. With healthy financials and new technical capabilities offered through next generation solutions for Lottery digital transformation, in both the retail and online worlds, we look forward to timely addressing upcoming maturities, further improving our capital structure, and implementing an ambitious plan for strong and sustainable growth in the US and key markets around the world, creating value for all stakeholders.

OVERVIEW OF RESULTS

REVENUE

Although the reported consolidated revenue posted a decrease compared to 1Q22, leading to a total revenue for the threemonth period ended March 31st, 2023, of €89.5m (8.4%), excluding the impact from the discontinuation of Malta license, underlying revenue from continuing operations increased by 17.5%.

  • From a contribution perspective, Lottery Games remain our largest contributor to Group turnover with a share of 60.4%, followed by Sports Betting with a share of 17.5%, VLTs monitoring with a share of 12.5%, Technology contracts with a share of 9.5%, and Racing with a share of 0.1%.
  • Reported consolidated revenue for the threemonth period is lower by €8.2m year over year. The main factors that drove top line performance per Business Activity are:
    • 20.4m (64.5%) from our Licensed Operations (B2C) activity line with the variance driven by:
      • Lower revenue in Malta (€21.5m) due to the license expiration early July 2022 and
      • Higher revenue in Argentina (€+1.1m or +10.9% yoy), driven by local market growth. In local currency, current year results posted a +104.5% yoy increase.
    • €+6.3m (+11.4%) from our Technology and Support Services (B2B/ B2G) activity line, with the variance driven by:
      • US operations’ increased revenue (€+4.6m or +13.1% yoy), mostly driven by the growth in Numerical and Instant games, further affected by the EUR depreciation (4.3% versus a year ago in average terms) and
      • Higher revenue from rest jurisdictions (€+1.7m or +8.6%).
    • +5.9m (+54.2%) from our Management (B2B/ B2G) contracts activity line with the variance driven by:
      • Strong momentum of our Turkish3 operations (+5.8m), driven by Bilyoners improved performance, favored by the growth of the online market. In 1Q23, the local Sports Betting market expanded close to 2.2 times yoy. Performance in Euro terms was partially mitigated by the headwinds in Turkish lira (+28.1% Euro appreciation versus a year ago),
      • Higher revenue from our US Sports Betting contracts in Montana and Washington, D.C. (€+0.1m) and
      • Steady performance in Morocco.

GROSS GAMING REVENUE & Payout

  • Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) concluded at 83.4m in 1Q23, posting an increase of 4.5% (or +3.6m) year over year. The improved performance across most key regions managed to absorb the loss of sales from Malta and the higher payout ratio in Argentina (67.7% yoy on wagers from licensed operations4). 1Q23 Payout Ratio5 was higher by 3.5pps vs. 1Q22 (62.4% vs. 58.9%).

OPERATING EXPENSES & EBITDA

  • Total Operating Expenses marginally increased by €0.9m (or +3.9%) in 1Q23 (€22.7m vs. 21.8m) driven by the improved topline performance in USA and Turkey
  • Other Operating Income from continuing operations ended at €7.8m presenting an increase of 37.0% yoy (or €+2.1m).
  • EBITDA amounted to 33.7m in 1Q23, posting a doubledigit growth of 29.2% (or +7.6m) compared to 1Q22. The main drivers underpinning this performance are attributed to the strong growth in our US operations and the boosted performance in Turkey.
  • On a yearly basis, EBITDA margin on sales climbed to 37.7%, from 26.7% in 1Q22 (+11.0pps).
  • LTM EBITDA stands at 130.5m, up by 6.2% vs. FY22.

EBT / NIATMI

  • EBT in 1Q23 amounted to 10.9m compared to 2.3m in 1Q22, largely driven by the significant EBITDA contribution, the improved results from participations and investments, the gains on net monetary position and the benefit from the lower D&A.
  • NIATMI in 1Q23 concluded at €3.1m compared to €5.7m in 1Q22.

CASH FLOW

  • Operating Cashflow in 1Q23 amounted to 37.2m, increased by €19.9m, compared to 1Q22. The positive impact arising from the higher recorded EBITDA yoy and the favorable working capital movement was partially offset by the negative variance in tax payments.
  • Net CAPEX in 1Q23 was €7.2m, higher by 2.9m compared to 1Q22, with US projects consuming most of the CAPEX needs.
  • Net Debt, as of March 31st, 2023, stood at 471.6m, decreased by €18.9m compared to December 31st, 2022. Robust cash flow generation supported the continued deleveraging, with Net Debt / EBITDA dropping to 3.6x in 1Q23, from 4.0x in Dec22. Positive gross debt movements include the capital payments towards the Term Loan in US, the lower interest accrued in comparison with Dec22 and the positive FX impact on our USD denominated debt.

OUTLOOK/RISKS

The Company Management identifies significant opportunities in the growth of the Lottery and Sports Betting online markets and the expansion of regulated ilottery markets, as well as from the recovery from the implications of the recent pandemic. Combined with the evolution of INTRALOT’s new technological solutions for Lottery digital transformation, the Company is in position to capture more technology projects with an increased profit margin compared to previous years.

World economies continue to navigate through macroeconomic uncertainties, with interest rates at high levels and relatively slow economic growth.

Increased interest rates have a direct impact on the financing servicing costs of the Intralot Group, while the outlook indicates that central banks may start to ease their monetary policy by the end of 2023.

nflation is declining more slowly than expected, having strong impact on most of the industries and regions. However, the gaming industry seems to be more resilient than other sectors of the economy, presenting above average growth in most regions.

The Management of the Company closely monitors geopolitical and economic developments and is ready to take all the necessary measures for protecting its operations.

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Gaming Innovation Group – Issue of new shares

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Gaming Innovation Group Inc. (GiG) has today issued 1,777,873 new shares of its common stock for the earn-out consideration in connection with the acquisition of Sportnco Gaming SAS (“Sportnco”), ref. GiG’s 2022 Annual Report and Exemption Document dated 13 July 2022. The earn-out consideration for Sportnco’s performance in 2022 were EUR 8,495,280 whereby 50% has been paid in cash and 50% in shares. The shares have been issued to the former shareholders of Sportnco at a share price of NOK 27.60 for a total consideration of EUR 4,247,640.

In addition, GiG has today issued 39,650 new shares of its common stock in connection with exercise of options, whereof 25,000 shares at a share price of NOK 15.00 per share and 14,650 at a share price of NOK 22.00 per share. Included are the 25,650 options exercised in April, ref announcement on 11 April 2023.

The new shares are issued by the Board of Directors under the Company’s 150,000,000 authorized shares, and the Company confirms that the new shares have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate actions and that the new shares have been fully paid and validly issued. The Company’s share capital has increased from USD 127,132,038 to USD 128,949,561, and the number of outstanding shares has increased from 127,132,038 to 128,949,561 (par value USD 1.00). In addition, a total of 2,732,950 options are outstanding as of today.

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R Franco Digital Embraces the Wild in Buffalo Park

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R Franco Digital, Spain’s leading gaming provider, is inviting players to conquer the prairies in its latest slot release, Buffalo Park.

Taking players on a 5×3 reel adventure, the game’s slick environment depicts a wild North American national park as buffalo stampede. With eagles, wolves, bears and buffaloes as the game’s iconic symbols, players must form matching combinations in the base game, while wilds appear in the form of the park’s gate and can substitute for other symbols on the board to help secure a win.

Meanwhile, national park symbols on the gameboard have a different award attached to each, including instant cash prizes and jackpot rewards. When the park ranger appears, these can be collected, massively increasing the win potential.

The free spins game is activated by landing three or more scatter symbols in the form of campfires. This activates eight free spins, made more lucrative through the rewarding national park symbols which appear frequently throughout this round.

Buffalo Park offers a high-intensity and action-packed game that underpins the studio’s dedication to consistently producing gaming content that adds value and innovation to the market, hot on the heels of the recently-released Spain-inspired Toreador.

“Inviting players to become the park ranger, our latest slot is a unique take on the North American prairies,” the Director for R Franco Digital, Javier Sacristán Franco, said. “With an emphasis on special symbols, it is a highly engaging title that captures interest from the first spin, offering the chance to win impressive prizes, substituting scatters and the exciting free spins game. R Franco Digital always aims to create unique experiences that provide a new form of entertainment and we believe we’ve certainly succeeded with Buffalo Park.”

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