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Sportradar Reports Strong First Quarter 2023 Results
Sportradar Group AG, a leading global technology company focused on enabling next generation engagement in sports through providing business-to-business solutions to the global sports betting industry, today announced financial results for its first quarter ended March 31, 2023.
First Quarter 2023 Highlights
Revenue in the first quarter of 2023 increased 24% to €207.6 million ($226.2 million)1 compared with the first quarter of 2022.
The RoW Betting segment, accounting for 52% of total revenue, grew 25% to €108.5 million ($118.3 million)1, primarily driven by strong performance from Managed Betting Services (MBS) and Live Odds.
The U.S. segment revenue grew 55% to €39.7 million ($43.3 million)1 compared with the first quarter of 2022, driven by higher sales of betting products as well as the Company’s digital advertising (ad:s) product. The U.S. segment generated positive Adjusted EBITDA2 for the third consecutive quarter with an Adjusted EBITDA2 margin of 17%.
Total Profit for the first quarter of 2023 was €6.8 million compared with €8.2 million for the same quarter last year. The Company’s Adjusted EBITDA2 in the first quarter of 2023 increased 37% to €36.7 million ($40.0 million)1 compared with the first quarter of 2022, demonstrating operational leverage from higher revenue despite increased investment into Artificial Intelligence (AI) for liquidity trading, and Computer Vision technology.
Adjusted EBITDA margin2 was 18% in the first quarter of 2023, an increase of 176 bps compared with the prior year period.
Adjusted Free Cash Flow2 in the first quarter of 2023 was €12.4 million, compared with €12.9 million for the prior year period, as a result of improved working capital management offset by an unfavorable impact from foreign currency exchange rates. The resulting Cash Flow Conversion2 was 34% in the quarter.
The Company’s customer Net Retention Ratio (NRR) was 120% in the first quarter of 2023, an improvement over the NRR from the fourth quarter of 2022 of 119%.
Carsten Koerl, Chief Executive Officer of Sportradar said: “We started fiscal 2023 on solid footing, as we continued to deliver strong top line growth, predominately by growing our value add products such as MBS and Live Odds in the Rest of World business, and strong, profitable growth in our U.S. segment. We are also demonstrating operational leverage as we continue to focus on cost discipline across the organization and invest prudently to grow our top line. We are confident that our ongoing product innovation in AI and computer vision will enable us to remain a market leader and increase shareholder value for our investors.”
Key Financial Measures
In millions, in Euros € Q1 Q1 Change
2023 2022 %
Revenue 207.6 167.9 24 %
Adjusted EBITDA2 36.7 26.7 37 %
Adjusted EBITDA margin2 18 % 16 % –
Adjusted Free Cash Flow2 12.4 12.9 (4 %)
Cash Flow Conversion2 34 % 48 % –
Segment Information
RoW Betting
Segment revenue in the first quarter of 2023 increased by 25% to €108.5 million compared with the first quarter of 2022. This growth was driven primarily by increased sales of the Company’s higher value-add offerings including MBS, which increased 40% to €37.1 million as well as Live Odds services which increased 29% year over year.
Segment Adjusted EBITDA2 in the first quarter of 2023 increased by 6% to €47.4 million compared with the first quarter of 2022. Segment Adjusted EBITDA margin2 decreased to 44% from 51% in the first quarter of 2022 due to increased investment in AI technology for MTS and Computer Vision technology. These investments will enable the Company to further grow revenue and improve its Adjusted EBITDA margin over time.
RoW Audiovisual (AV)
Segment revenue in the first quarter of 2023 decreased 3% to €44.6 million compared with the first quarter of 2022. Revenue was impacted by the expected completion of the Tennis Australia contract partially offset by growth in sales to new and existing customers.
Segment Adjusted EBITDA2 in the first quarter of 2023 increased 27% to €11.3 million compared with the first quarter of 2022. Segment Adjusted EBITDA margin2 improved to 25% in the first quarter of 2023 compared with 19% in the first quarter of 2022 due to savings associated with the completion of the Tennis Australia contract.
United States
Segment revenue in the first quarter of 2023 increased by 55% to €39.7 million ($43.3 million)1 compared with the first quarter of 2022. Results were driven by growth in core betting data products and the ad:s product.
Segment Adjusted EBITDA2 in the first quarter of 2023 was €6.8 million ($7.4 million)1 compared with a loss of (€6.4) million in the first quarter of 2022. This is the third consecutive quarter with positive Adjusted EBITDA2 indicating the strong operational leverage in the U.S. business model despite continuous investments. Segment Adjusted EBITDA margin23improved to 17% from (25%) compared with the first quarter of 2022.
Costs and Expenses
Purchased services and licenses in the first quarter of 2023 increased by €11.6 million to €48.4 million compared with the first quarter of 2022, reflecting continuous investments in content creation, greater event coverage and higher scouting costs. Of the total purchased services and licenses, approximately €14.0 million were expensed sports rights.
Personnel expenses in the first quarter of 2023 increased by €25.2 million to €77.5 million compared with the first quarter of 2022. The increase was primarily as a result of increased investment for growth which was driven by higher headcount associated with investments in AI and Computer Vision, increased share based compensation, and inflationary adjustments for labor costs.
Other operating expenses in the first quarter of 2023 increased by €1.7 million to €21.2 million, compared with the first quarter of 2022, primarily as a result of higher software license costs, higher audit fees and implementation costs for a new financial management system.
Total sports rights costs in the first quarter of 2023 decreased by €2.8 million to €51.2 million compared with the first quarter of 2022, primarily due to savings from the expected completion of the Tennis Australia contract.
Recent Company Highlights
SportradarSportradar renewed its partnership with the Big Ten Network extends partnership with the Big 10 Conference to broaden its footprint in the U.S. college space by powering its OTT platform B1G+ through the 2024-2025 college athletics season. Sportradar is providing its technology and data-driven OTT solutions to manage B1G+’s OTT web, mobile and connected TV apps, UX/UI design and third party integration.
Sportradar announced the integration of its ad:s technology into Snapchat, creating a new channel for betting operators to engage and acquire customers using the Company’s paid social media advertising service. Using Snapchat’s advanced age and location targeting capabilities to ensure only legally qualified audiences are reached, betting operators have a potential to reach Snapchat’s 350 million daily active users and over 750 million monthly active users.
Sportradar was selected as the successful bidder for the global Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) data and streaming rights starting in 2024 as a result of the Company’s commitment to product innovation. Sportradar offers the broadest reach to tennis fans globally and has been a supplier of official ATP Tour and Challenger Tour secondary data feeds since 2022.
Sportradar published its first Sustainability Report highlighting its commitment to sustaining its business, communities and environment. The report is based on Sportradar’s five key sustainability priorities, sustainability, people, oversight, respect and technology-led (SPORT), which are aligned with the standards and framework of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB).
Sportradar Integrity Services released its second Annual Report on Betting Corruption and Match-Fixing in 2022, revealing the Company had identified 1,212 suspicious matches across 12 sports in 92 countries, an increase of 34% year over year. The overall data confirmed that 99.5% of sporting events are free from match-fixing, with no single sport having a suspicious match ratio of greater than 1%.
Sportradar named technology executive Gerard Griffin as Chief Financial Officer effective May 9, 2023. Mr Griffin previously served as CFO of Zynga Inc., a global leader in interactive entertainment, and will be responsible for Sportradar’s accounting, finance and investor relations functions. Mr. Griffin brings more than 25 years of leadership experience in financial and operational management within the gaming, media and technology sectors.
Annual Financial Outlook
Sportradar reaffirmed its annual outlook provided on March 15, 2023, for revenue and Adjusted EBITDA2 for fiscal 2023 as follows:
Sportradar expects its revenue for fiscal 2023 to be in the range of €902.0 million to €920.0 million ($983.2 million to $1002.8 million)1, representing growth of 24% to 26% over fiscal 2022.
Adjusted EBITDA2 is expected to be in a range of €157.0 million to €167.0 million ($171.1 million to $182.0 million)1, representing 25% to 33% growth versus last year.
Adjusted EBITDA margin2 is expected to be in the range of 17% to 18%.4
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Week 40/2024 slot games releases
Here are this weeks latest slots releases compiled by European Gaming
Amusnet has released 40 Bulky Dice – a classic video slot full of lucky dice symbols with a modern twist, which tempts with lots of entertainment and fantastic prizes. This 5-reel, 40 fixed paylines slot game offers vivid gameplay, epic sound effects and an easy-to-use interface. Watch out for the colourful Joker, which is the Wild symbol and appears on the second, third and fourth reels.
BGaming has teamed up with famous rapper and record producer Snoop Dogg to create an iconic new slot, Snoop Dogg Dollars. The themed game is BGaming’s first branded content in collaboration with a celebrity and was exclusively launched with Roobet on 25th September, before going live across the wider network on 30th October.
Relax Gaming has delivered a knockout blow with its latest release, Feather Fury. Fists are flying in this 3×2 boxing-themed slot, where players can win up to 5,000x their stake thanks to a truly unique mechanic that awards respins following dead spins. Every dead spin that is registered automatically adds a notch to the bar, with 10 dead spins being enough to trigger Feather Fury’s respin feature.
“Reel Rabbit” from Hölle Games is already live, a new entry in the Reel franchise. This 5×3, 25 payline slot continues in the footsteps of furry friends Fox, Tiger and Wolf, and while it might be the most mild-mannered mammal of the bunch, Reel Rabbit still packs a hefty punch!
Step into the vibrant world of Muertos Fortuna, an exciting slot game from Zillion Games, featuring 3D animation and engaging features. Muertos Fortuna, inspired by Día de los Muertos and Halloween, brings vibrant animations and the unique presence of Catrina Muerte, who may appear during gameplay to interact and cheer you on with fun phrases, adding an engaging element to the experience.
Play’n GO invites players to revisit the mystical world of the beyond in Lady of Fortune Remastered, where the future holds untold riches and mysterious revelations. Venture where the veil between our world and the unknown is thin, and fortunes await those who dare to look. This 5×3 video slot revisits the popular title, Lady of Fortune, now with enhanced visuals and enriched gameplay.
Belatra Games has released its latest hot shot, Lucky Bandits. This exhilarating escapade launches players into the lawless lands of the Wild West that are brought to life with stunning visuals, immersive soundscapes, and thrilling gameplay. The game is bursting with engaging features such as Free Games, Hot Mode, and the intense Shot and Dynamite Bonuses.
Intrepid players are being given the chance to venture back in time to a land ruled by the great Pharaohs where they can uncover relics, treasures and big wins in Gold of Egypt, the latest slot from Silverback Gaming. In Gold of Egypt, players find themselves in a hot and arid desert at the entrance to a secret tomb. As the reels spin, ancient symbols land on the reels including a Cat, Snake, Scorpion and Scarab, as well as different hieroglyphics.
They say Rome wasn’t built in a day, but in Swintt’s all-new slot sensation, Hidden Treasures of Rome, players’ fortunes can certainly be built up in seconds thanks to the presence of Free Spins, a rewarding tumble feature and random multipliers that offer a maximum payout of up to 5,000x the stated win.
On October 2nd Endorphina, released its newest slot game, Panda Strike, now available for play in most online casinos. Panda Strike is a 5-reel, 4-row oriental slot with 40 fixed paylines. Set in a small Chinese town, the slot encourages players to master concentration and self-discipline, leading them to face the legendary panda, a master of the martial arts.
Amusnet has released its new online slot game, 10 Vampire Bites. The game has 11 symbols scattered across 5 reels and 10 paylines. The video slot game also showcases a hauntingly beautiful gothic design that immerses players in a world of mystery, while the atmospheric soundtrack further enhances the eerie experience, drawing players deeper into the chilling narrative.
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How Do Casinos Detect Fake Chips and Cheat Devices?
One of the biggest challenges that brick-and-mortar casinos must deal with to run their business efficiently, is fraud. For as long as gambling establishments have been around, people have been trying to cheat at the games they provide.
So how do casinos keep themselves ahead of the game? There is a tremendous amount of unseen security that happens in a casino establishment, so much so that people may not even notice its sheer volume.
All casinos, be it digital platforms or land-based establishments, deal with money. Any low deposit Czech online casino, an online casino no minimum deposit Philippines platform or a Canadian casino site has security to protect digital payment transactions. And physical casinos have to work hard to stay one step ahead of the game. Here are some of the methods they use to protect themselves.
Fake Chips
Chips are currency in the casino, which makes them a big target for counterfeiters, but making them is no easy process. That’s down to the security measures embedded in real chips, which makes them very hard to replicate.
Making this even tougher for would-be scammers, is the fact that all casinos use different designs for their chips, and the variations between them can be in the form of marking, colours, style and even weight.
This is a very important aspect because if a counterfeiter went through all the effort and expense to make chips for just one casino, there’s a greater chance of them being caught than if they were spreading the chips around at various establishments.
But casinos take a lot of other steps to protect themselves against fake chips.
RFID Technology
At the top end of casino play, it’s common for higher-value chips to have RFID technology built into them. These signals can be detected by the casino’s systems and tracked at any moment. So if a chip turns up at a table or a cashier’s cage and an RFID signal is not received, that’s a problem.
Ultraviolet
Chips also have hidden UV markings on them, making it difficult for them to be replicated. Standard practice for casino workers is to go through the floats that hold the chips and scan them with a UV light. If a chip’s missing a marker, it’s flagged.
The Trained Eye
Casino workers are trained to know their chips, so sometimes a visual inspection can be enough to catch a fraudster if a slight difference in the shade of green on a $25 chip is spotted, for example, or the weight feels a little off in the hand. This is naturally a little more difficult to reveal, but it’s part of the security along with random audits and chip counting on a shift.
Chip Fingerprinting
Chips come from a mould, and this makes forensic fingerprinting of chips possible as well. That means at a microscopic level, the chips are going to have the same flaws as that mould. If a suspect chip doesn’t match the mould as it should, then it’s not going to be a genuine casino product.
Personal Checks
Another rule that casinos follow for protection against fake chips is undergoing checks on players. Wherever a player tries to buy into a game with a high-value chip of at least $500 a security check on the person will be performed. If the player refuses to give their ID or have their photo taken, well that just makes them look extremely suspicious.
Part of money laundering laws also means that players can’t buy in at a certain level (typically $10K) without validating their ID. Casinos also have phenomenal surveillance systems that can track individual high-value chips, so they can account for where they are at any time. Trying to introduce fake high-value chips is, therefore, high-risk stuff.
That’s also part of the reason anyone who attempts this will typically go for lower denomination chips, with the $100 being the most frequently faked.
Cheat Devices
Cheat devices that are taken onto the casino floor to try and manipulate games are another thing that casinos have to deal with. These are electronic devices that can send signals to players at a poker table from spotters or ones that can be inserted into slot machines to manipulate the mechanics.
How do casinos detect these? Metal and radio signal detectors can help scope these out. But again, the “big eye in the sky”, the surveillance systems play a large part in this. It watches everything and tracks everything, and even the slightest suspicion about something will raise a red flag.
There are also consequences for trying to use fake chips, as it can lead to casino bans, criminal charges being pressed against you and prosecution.
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Blask expands coverage with new European and Asian markets
Blask, the AI-driven market analytics ecosystem, continues its rapid expansion towards the goal of providing high-quality iGaming data for the entire world, with the addition of 10 major new markets.
All Blask users now have access to real-time data, including estimates of GGR, FTDs, Blask Index, and Relative market share by brand, for the new markets, which include the Philippines, the Netherlands, Poland, Serbia, Bulgaria, Malaysia, and North Macedonia.
“As we onboard more users to Blask, we are listening to them closely and adding new markets based on demand,” said Blask CEO and co-founder Max Tesla. “This latest Europe and Asia-focused update provides the most accurate, real-time data available for some of the most important iGaming jurisdictions in the world. Blask is already providing a data-driven edge to users, and we’ll continue to deliver on our roadmap to make it a must-have for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of our industry.”
Blask now offers data from a total of 34 global iGaming jurisdictions. In August, the team rolled out several new Latin American and African markets to meet the demand for accurate data in emerging regions.
As well as new markets, additional functionality is also being added to Blask. This includes a recent update that brings comprehensive customer profiling to the platform.
The company recently announced the appointment of Greg Penkov as Chief Revenue Officer to help bring Blask to new customers.
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