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Raketech Interim report Q1 2021
QUOTE FROM OSKAR MÜHLBACH, CEO
”The first quarter of 2021 was a solid quarter for Raketech. Despite Q1 traditionally being a slower quarter, revenues came in in line with Q4, totaling EUR 8.3m. This equals an annual growth rate of 27% whereof 5% was organic. EBITDA margin reached 39% which, considering continuously significant investments into R&D and geographical expansion, is comforting.
FIRST QUARTER 2021
- Revenues totalled EUR 8.3 million (EUR 6.5 million) representing an increase of 26.6%
- Organic growth amounted to 5.4% (-10.7%)
- NDCs (New Depositing Customers) amounted to 39,874 (32,278), representing an increase of 23.5%
- EBITDA amounted to EUR 3.2 million (EUR 2.6 million), corresponding to a margin of 38.7% (40.2%)
- Operating profit amounted to EUR 1.6 million (EUR 1.4 million), corresponding to a margin of 18.9% (20.9%)
- Profit for the period amounted to EUR 1.1 million (EUR 1.1 million)
- Earnings per share amounted to EUR 0.03 (EUR 0.03)
EVENTS DURING FIRST QUARTER 2021
- There were no significant events during the quarter
SUBSEQUENT EVENTS AFTER THE END OF THE PERIOD
- Revenues in April, 2021 of EUR 2.8 million (EUR 2.4 million).
CEO OSKAR MÜHLBACH COMMENTS ON THE QUARTER
“With regards to margin it is worth noticing that our lower margin network revenues now represent a fair share of our total revenues and that our Finance vertical, which was on the contrary very strong with regards to margin, no longer are in the numbers. In practice this means that our operational efficiency continues to be high, and that growth from our core operations can be expected to have positive impact on margin over time, alternatively to be used to further accelerate growth by developing new products, offerings, enter into new geographies and more.
Primary growth drivers in the quarter were our Japanese and US efforts, as well as continuously solid performance from our Network sales. Once again Japan stands out positively, delivering record numbers on all KPIs, spanning from traffic/sessions to monetization. And in the US, the Superbowl in combination with our newest licenses in the states of Virginia and Michigan, significantly pushed the needle, mid quarter. However, this needle was to some extent, but as expected, slightly pushed back by low seasonality on other markets, increased gambling tax in Denmark, Casinofeber still being lower than previously and payment blocks in Norway.
Our sports share of total revenues increased to 17%, representing an annual growth of 27%, much thanks to our US assets. And our non-Nordic revenues furthermore increased to 35%, which not only is all time high, but also a major strategic milestone in our quest to lower our dependency on the Nordics by expanding geographically. Sweden, which currently represents 38% of the group’s total revenues, compared to 55% last year same period is however still by far our largest market, even though the dependency has decreased significantly. Primarily, the development is supported by acquired additional revenues on new markets as well as strong performance on other markets – with Japan leading the way. After experiencing an extraordinary growth during 2020, which continued the first quarter 2021, it is satisfying to conclude that Japan now is representing 11% of the group’s total. Additionally, the US is representing 6% of total, which considering the short time frame should be interpreted as a sign of Raketech having high ambitions on the American market.
Outlook
I am pleased to be able to conclude that the positive momentum we showed in Q4 continued into Q1 and resulted in yet another stable quarter. Furthermore, April revenues amounted to EUR 2.8m, despite the US slowing down slightly after the Superbowl peak.
The Raketech team is currently focusing on ensuring we maximize the potential from the European Championships in Football coming up in June in addition to our continuous efforts to ensure we deliver on strategic goals with regards to geographical expansion and commercial diversification, through R&D as well as M&A.
Finally, I want to take the opportunity to thank the Chairman of the Board; Christian Lundberg, who has declined re-election as of this year’s AGM in May. Thank you Christian, for sharing your wisdom and for being such a great support, to me personally and to the whole team at Raketech. And also, a warm welcome to industry veteran Ulrik Bengtsson who is nominated to take on the role after Mr Lundberg. I am very much looking forward to taking Raketech to new levels together!
Latest News
Clarion Gaming film Virtual Tour showing scale of opportunity for ICE and iGB Affiliate exhibitors in Barcelona
Ahead of January 2025’s relocation to Barcelona, ICE and iGB Affiliate exhibitors can share Clarion Gaming’s ‘Vision of the possible’ courtesy of a specially commissioned virtual tour and exhibitor orientation video which can be viewed at: youtube.com
The 10-minute exhibitor film which is narrated by Clarion Gaming Managing Director Stuart Hunter takes viewers on a tour of the venue beginning with an introduction to Fira Gran Via’s integrated metro station which is located between the El Prat international airport (12km) and the historic city centre (3km) and has the capacity to take huge volumes of attendees directly to the heart of the spacious dedicated registration area at the south entrance.
Viewers are then taken on a journey along the elevated arterial walkway which provides a unique bird’s eye view of the 120,000 sqm exhibition space before accessing the contemporary designed meeting areas and plentiful break-out spaces requested by exhibitors, on to the ultra-modern and scalable conference facilities and the venue’s three ‘Sky Gardens’ which facilitate the delivery of a memorable indoor/outdoor festival experience.
The video also explains the new visitor-friendly show floor which has been designed to easily identify the gaming verticals of interest and in the process ease navigation through the five halls that the 2025 editions of ICE and iGB Affiliate will occupy.
Introducing the video Stuart Hunter said: “This is the latest in a series of orientation initiatives which we started in October 2023. This video which is aimed at ICE and iGB Affiliate exhibitors, partners and sponsors will be followed by a dedicated visitor tour to help prepare for this exciting new chapter.
“As a team we could not be more excited about the opportunities offered by our new home at Gran Via and new host city of Barcelona: the film sets-out the size of the opportunity that we have as an industry and shares a compelling vision of what’s possible.”
ICE/iGBA 2025 will use circa 120,000 gross sqm of The Gran Via (ICE 2024 utilised 100,000 gross sqm in London) across Halls 1 (iGB Affiliate) and 2-5 (ICE). An additional 160,000 sqm has been reserved exclusively for ICE/iGBA across the five-year tenancy. The Convention Centre which is located in Hall 8 comprises a modular and versatile space with seating for between 3,000 and 12,000 people.
Latest News
José Garcia promoted to General Manager for Innovative Technology Spain
The Spanish branch of Innovative Technology (ITL) have announced that a long-standing member of the team has been promoted to General Manager. José (Pepe) García Escudero previously held the role of Business Development Manager for the region.
ITL Spain has had an office in Barcelona since 1996, headed up by Sales Director Mustapha Hadj-Ahmed. They provide both cash validation equipment and biometric technology to various market sectors including, gaming, amusement, kiosk and retail.
Commenting on José’s promotion Mustapha said, “I would like to congratulate José (known to most of his customers as Pepe!) on this well-deserved achievement. I have worked with him since he joined the company seven and half years ago and he is hard working, a real team player and has an excellent eye for spotting new opportunities. José will be responsible for overall operations as well as continuing his business development tasks. I am sure he will excel in his new role and I am confident he will lead our talented team to new heights! I look forward to exciting and prosperous times ahead.”
Pepe added, “I am so pleased to be given this fantastic opportunity and to play a more operational and managerial role in the business. Each member of the team here in Spain are a key part of our success, and the reason we are known for being a leading provider of cash handling equipment. I am excited to get started and see the business grow even further as we continue to serve our valued customers and develop our technology to response to the changing needs of the market.”
Concluding Mustapha said, “José will be heading up the team at the FIJMA show in Madrid on 7th – 9th May 2024 on stand A49, so if you are attending the show come and say hello!”
Asia
Team ATK Oshun excels at 2024 Online Championships held on 13 April 2024
Mind Sports South Africa’s (MSSA) 2024 Online Championships held on 13 April 2024 showed sterling results.
The championship was yet another chance for many esports athletes to qualify for MSSA’s National Team Trials to be held on 25 May 2024 at which the team will be selected to officially represent South Africa at the African Qualifiers which lead up to IESF’s 16th World Esports Championships to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in October and November 2024..
All Registered Players who have finished in the top three places, or the top 20% – whichever is greater, are entitled to enter trials.
However, it must be remembered that all players must have a valid passport to participate in the National Team Trials.
It was indeed exciting to watch just how much all the female teams have improved.
Team ATK Oshun (ATK Club Sport) being a female team astounded all with their skill and sportsmanship. The team demolished all ATK Club Sport opposition to ultimately won the premier event overall and qualify for the National Team trials to be held on 25 May 2025.
IESF’s 15th World Championships will be played to the following titles:
- Counter-Strike 2
- Counter-Strike 2 – Female division
- DotA 2
- eFootball
- Mobile Legends, Bang Bang
- Mobile Legends, Bang Bang – Female division
- PUBGM
The high standard of play saw 37 Registered Players from six provinces being awarded Provincial Colours. Only Limpopo, Free State, and Northern Cape did not have Registered Players who did not earn provincial colours.
Title | Name of player/team | Club | Provincial Colours awarded |
Clash Royale – Premier | Johan Coetzee | Middies | Mpumalanga |
Clash Royale – High School | Aryan Maharaj | PR0NHS | |
Counter Strike: 2 | ATK Oshun | ||
Kaylee Ludick | ATK Club Sport | Gauteng | |
Jessica Eleez Greeff | ATK Club Sport | Gauteng | |
Christin Brazier | ATK Club Sport | Gauteng | |
Megan van der Westhuizen | ATK Club Sport | Gauteng | |
Kayhla Rose Calder | ATK Club Sport | Gauteng | |
DotA – Premier | ZAG DOTA 1 | ||
Suhail Khan | ZAG Academy | Gauteng | |
Travis John Waters | ZAG Academy | Western Cape | |
Mark Kilian Lehle | ZAG Academy | Gauteng | |
Mohammad Dhooma | ZAG Academy | Eastern Cape | |
Nicholas Dammert | ZAG Academy | Gauteng | |
eFootball – Premier | Aslam Parker | PES Society | Gauteng |
FIFA 24 – High School | Daiyaan Hendricks | PES Society | Western Cape |
Mobile Legends – Premier
|
Mavericks | ||
Matthew Tatalias | Mavericks | Gauteng | |
Damian Bransby | Mavericks | Western Cape | |
Preshan Pillay | Mavericks | Gauteng | |
Mohammad Azhar Ansari | Mavericks | KwaZulu Natal | |
Taygan Gabriel | Mavericks | KwaZulu Natal | |
Luke Green | Mavericks | Western Cape | |
Mobile Legends – Premier – Female
|
AHG | ||
Je’nielle Cavanagh | PES Society | Western Cape | |
Inez Pringle | PES Society | Western Cape | |
Salma Parker | PES Society | Western Cape | |
Ra’isha Prout | PES Society | Western Cape | |
Fatimah Prout | PES Society | Western Cape | |
Mia Anthony | PES Society | Western Cape | |
PUBGM
|
Team uEnvy | ||
Richard Henry | ZAG Academy | Eastern Cape | |
La-eeq Arendse | ZAG Academy | Western Cape | |
Kyle Dudley | ZAG Academy | Western Cape | |
Clayton Leak | ZAG Academy | Western Cape | |
Rocket League – Premier – 1 v 1 – Premier | Nathan Strange | Hoërskool Klerksdorp | |
Rocket League – Premier – 1 v 1 – High School | Luther Peens | Hoërskool Klerksdorp | |
Street Fightter V – Premier | Marnus van der Merwe | Hoërskool Klerksdorp | North West |
Tekken 8 | Stasch Cloeta | Team PlayBell | Western Cape |
Valorant – Premier
|
TuksValorant | ||
Tapiwanashe Keith Matema | TuksEsports | Gauteng | |
Kyle Halvorsen | TuksEsports | Gauteng | |
Jaden Connor Swarts | TuksEsports | Gauteng | |
Ronald James Tyler Wheeldon | TuksEsports | Gauteng | |
Alejandro Luca Sartini-Kruger | TuksEsports | Gauteng | |
Armand Pierre van der Colf | TuksEsports | Gauteng | |
Sportsmanship Award | Je’nielle Cavanagh | PES Society |
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