Connect with us
SOFTSWISS

Industry News

Aspire Global’s Year-End Report 2018 – Concluding an Amazing Year

Published

on

Aspire Global: Interim Report Second Quarter 2021
Image Source: aspireglobal.com
Reading Time: 4 minutes

 

FOURTH QUARTER (OCT-DEC 2018)
• Revenues increased by 71.6% to €32.9 million (19.2)
• B2B Revenues increased by 87.3% to €19.3 million (10.3)
• EBITDA increased by 71.4% to €6.6 million (3.8)
• EBITDA margin amounted to 20.0% (20.0%)
• EBIT increased to €6.0 million (3.5)
• Earnings after tax from continued operations increased to €4.6 million (1.3)
• Earnings per share after tax from continued operations increased to €0.10 (0.03)
• Cash flow from operating activities increased by 103.9% to €5.3 million (2.6)
• First time depositors (FTDs) increased by 82.1% to 123.7 thousand (67.9)

FULL YEAR (JAN-DEC 2018)
• Revenues increased by 45.5% to €104.6 million (71.9)
• B2B Revenues increased by 52.6% to €56.6 million (37.1)
• EBITDA increased by 48.6% to €21.2 million (14.3)
• EBITDA margin amounted to 20.3% (19.8%)
• EBIT increased to €19.3 million (13.0)
• Earnings after tax from continued operations increased to €16.2 million (9.8)
• Earnings per share after tax from continued operations increased to €0.36 (0.23)
• Cash flow from operating activities increased by 42.8% to €22.9 million (16.0)
• First time depositors (FTDs) increased by 50.5% to 370.4 thousand (246.1)
• The Board of Directors proposes a dividend of approximately 1.27 SEK per share, to be paid for the 2018 fiscal year

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS DURING AND AFTER THE FOURTH QUARTER
• On October 25th 2018, the sports operator BetRegal migrated to Aspire Global from another platform
• On October 22nd 2018, Aspire Global launched a bingo offering in addition to casino and sports.
• On November 28th 2018, Aspire Global was granted a sports gaming license in Ireland.
• On December 5th 2018, Aspire Global presented new financial targets for 2019-2021; revenues of €200 million and an
EBITDA of €32 million, excl. material acquisitions, and an EBITDA-margin of 16%.
• On December 21st 2018, Aspire Global was granted a Swedish gaming license. On January 1st, 2019, the re-regulation
entered into force and Aspire Global started operating under the new license.
• On January 9th 2019, Ziv Shtaeinberg was appointed as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and member of the management team at Aspire Global, leading the technology site in Kiev, Ukraine.

A WORD FROM THE CEO 
“As I conclude the fourth quarter and 2018 as a whole, I feel excited and extremely proud of our progress. December rounded off yet another record quarter in line with our seasonal pattern. We maintained strong focus on regulated markets with new licenses granted in Sweden and Ireland and finalized compliance for the Swedish re-regulation. Furthermore, we launched five new brands on the platform, two of which were migrations of established operators, all while pursuing high activity in B2B and B2C through effective CRM-campaigns. As a result, revenues in the fourth quarter increased by 71.6% from 2017, reaching €32.9 million.

CONCLUDING 2018
As for the full-year, it was an exciting journey. Aspire Global entered into 8 new partnerships and launched 13 new B2B-sites. We also launched over 240 new games, 6 of which are our own, and managed to expand our offering to bingo and sports, the latter of which is growing steadily and contributing to both segments. We received two new licenses for regulated markets, Sweden and Ireland, enabling us to create a stronger presence in northern Europe. The iGaming license for sports in Ireland expands Sportsbook to yet another regulated market, enabling partners to target new audiences through a wider offering. Moreover, we issued and listed a bond under a €80 million framework that, together with our strong cash flow, would enhance our growth potential and allow us to explore attractive investment and acquisition opportunities, in line with operational focus. Last but not least, we arranged our first capital markets day in Stockholm. The fact that we will be exceeding previous financial targets ahead of schedule is the result of an amazing progress in 2018, following our growth strategy.

ENTERING 2019
We are excited to be up and running in the re-regulated Swedish market, creating a stronger footprint in the Nordics. Aspire Global sees considerable growth potential from the modest starting point and is looking forward to initiating new partnerships under the new conditions.

Aspire Global recently announced updated financial targets for 2019-2021, aiming at revenues of €200 million and an EBITDA of €32 million, excluding material acquisitions, and an EBITDA-margin of 16%. The strategy going forward remains focused on B2B and B2C, but also on game development. Aspire Global will continue to pursue strong growth, both organically and through acquisitions, with a consistent focus on improving the offering, strengthening partnerships and seizing attractive opportunities in regulated markets. To ensure the appropriate infrastructure and flexibility for various market conditions and coming integrations, we will be initiating considerable investments in the company platform from our tech site in Ukraine, starting with the recent appointment of a group CTO and further recruitments to strengthen the tech-team going forward.
Welcome to a new and exciting year with Aspire global.” – Tsachi Maimon, CEO Aspire Global

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Tsachi Maimon, CEO, Tel: +356-79777898 or email: [email protected]
Motti Gil, CFO, Tel: +972-73 372 3154 or email: [email protected]

ABOUT THIS INFORMATION
Aspire global discloses the information provided herein pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation
(MAR). The information was submitted for publication by the contact persons above at 08:15 am (CET) on February 14th 2019.

This document is the English original. In the event of any discrepancy between the original English document and the Swedish translation, the English original shall prevail.

TELECONFERENCE
Today, on February 14th 2019, at 10:00 (CET), the company CEO, Tsachi Maimon, and CFO, Motti Gil, will be presenting the report and answering questions at a teleconference (in English).
The teleconference will be webcasted live through the following link: https://financialhearings.com/event/10985 . The meeting, including the Q&A-session, is also available by dialing-in on the numbers below.
Sweden: +46 8 5664 27 03
UK: +44 3333 009 273
US: +1 6467 224 956

 

ABOUT ASPIRE GLOBAL:
Founded in 2005, Aspire Global offers a comprehensive iGaming solution for operators and white labels, including a complete suite of services for casino and sportsbook, multilingual CRM, payments and risk control, support call center, VIP management, acquisition optimization and a robust, market-leading platform. Aspire Global also holds licenses in regulated markets including the UK, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden and Malta. Aspire Global is listed on NASDAQ First North Premier under ASPIRE. Certified Advisor: FNCA Sweden AB, [email protected], +46-8-528 00 399. Please visit www.aspireglobal.com.

Continue Reading
Advertisement




Prague Gaming & TECH Summit 2024

Affiliate Industry

The Nomination Committee’s Proposal of Catena Media’s Board of Directors at the Annual General Meeting 2024

Published

on

The Nomination Committee’s Proposal of Catena Media’s Board of Directors at the Annual General Meeting 2024
Reading Time: 2 minutes

The Nomination Committee of Catena Media proposed re-election of the following members of the Board of Directors:

Øystein Engebretsen

Theodore Bergquist

Adam Krejcik

Sean Hurley

The Nomination Committee proposed that Erik Flinck and Dan Castillo be elected as new members of the Board of Directors.

Göran Blomberg, Esther Teixeira-Boucher and Austin Malcomb have declined re-election as board members.

The Nomination Committee proposed that there will be six (6) members of the Board of Directors, changed from seven (7).

The Nomination Committee also proposed Erik Flinck to be elected as Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Erik Flinck, born in 1980, currently provides high end business consulting combined with serving as Chairman for the digital health startup, dr HUD. Mr Flinck previously served as Head of BCG Sweden and has extensive experience from corporate management, growth and turnarounds from nearly 20 years of Management Consulting and serving as Head of Group Strategy and M&A at Sandvik AB. He has a Masters Degree in Engineering (Software development and Financial Mathematics) from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm and a Masters Degree in Business and Administration from Stockholm University and Stockholm School of Business.

Born in 1980, Dan Castillo has accumulated over 20 years of experience across startups, growth companies and turnarounds. Since 2015, Castillo has invested in Catena Media, maintaining a close watch on its progression, especially after its IPO in 2016. He has previous experience of listed board work in Kotipizza which Orkla acquired in 2018. He currently serves on the boards of five companies in different sectors, including Quartr.com in Fintech and Hope Studios in movie production. His academic background includes studies in Finance and Economics at Linköping University.

The Nomination Committee of Catena Media consists of:

Nicklas Paulson, representing Investment AB Öresund (chair of the nomination committee)

Marianne Stenberg, representing Second Swedish National Pension Fund

Martin Zetterlund, representing Niklas Karlsson

Göran Blomberg, chairman of the board of Catena Media.

Continue Reading

Industry News

IGT Announces Executive and Board Leadership Changes

Published

on

IGT Announces Executive and Board Leadership Changes
Reading Time: 2 minutes

 

International Game Technology PLC (IGT) announced that on March 21, 2024, its Board of Directors implemented changes to the Company’s Board and executive team.

Marco Drago announced that he will step down from his role as a non-executive director of the IGT Board of Directors. He will carry out his remaining term and depart from the Board at the conclusion of the Company’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) on May 14, 2024.

Enrico Drago has been appointed by the IGT Board of Directors as a non-executive director of the IGT Board. In addition, Enrico Drago will resign from his current role of CEO of IGT PlayDigital, and Gil Rotem, who is currently IGT PlayDigital President of iGaming, will expand his role to become IGT PlayDigital President and report directly to Vince Sadusky, CEO of IGT. These changes will be effective April 1, 2024. Enrico Drago will continue in his role as vice chairman of De Agostini S.p.A.

“As Marco Drago prepares to step down from his position on the IGT Board of Directors, I’d like to thank him for his many years of service and his unwavering commitment to driving results and creating value for all IGT stakeholders. Enrico Drago joining the Board and leaving his executive leadership position at IGT is a natural evolution that supports the Company’s vision for its next era of growth and transformation. Enrico’s value-creation mindset and understanding of global growth opportunities will enhance the Board and align with IGT’s strategic priorities,” said Marco Sala, IGT Executive Chair of the Board.

“Watching and guiding IGT through its evolution from a collection of companies that started with Lottomatica and GTECH grow into a unified global gaming leader has been very gratifying. We have been fortunate to have a great group of board members and business unit leaders that have helped drive IGT’s growth during this time. I thank them for their contributions and am certain that IGT is positioned for continued growth as we go forward with the bold initiatives we have undertaken,” said Marco Drago, IGT Non-Executive Director.

“Over the last five-plus years, IGT PlayDigital has established leadership positions in the global iGaming and North American sports betting sectors that will be foundational to the Company’s future successes. I thank the entire IGT PlayDigital team for all that we have accomplished in this time, and I look forward to supporting IGT in a new capacity and further helping the Company define its vision and strategy,” said Enrico Drago, CEO of IGT PlayDigital.

Continue Reading

Industry News

Bidstack Executive Team Acquires Bidstack Limited and all its Subsidiaries

Published

on

Bidstack Executive Team Acquires Bidstack Limited and all its Subsidiaries
Reading Time: 2 minutes

 

The executive team of Bidstack has acquired Bidstack Limited and all the operating entities of the Group, from the administrators of Bidstack Group PLC. The deal sees James Draper, Founder & CEO, and the executive team of Bidstack Ltd become significant majority shareholders.

All contracts and client relationships will continue within the new ownership structure – safeguarding jobs for the UK and European-based staff.

Bidstack, the multi award-winning in-game middleware technology provider that initially set about bringing programmatic advertising revenue to the most renowned sports gaming franchises in the world, has diversified into a broader offering, taking advantage of the most advanced off-engine content management system in gaming.

Following the announcement of a partnership with the Washington Commanders, where the NFL franchise became the first-ever sports team to utilise a platform to control advertising within their virtual stadium, across official NFL games, from multiple studios and developers, the management team has been focusing on sports rights holders as a key customer type.

The executive team has the support of the world’s leading rights-holder professionals in the sports industry. It will continue to execute from its position as the leading technology for the sports industry, for fan engagement and brand activations, in video games.

The executive management consists of James Draper continuing as Chief Executive Officer, with Lisa Hau stepping up to Chief Financial Officer, Dave Garvey continuing as Chief Legal Officer, Will Stewart moving to Chief Product Officer and Daniel Barrigas to Chief Technology Officer.

James Draper, Bidstack’s Founder & CEO, said: “The acquisition is a pivotal moment for the next phase of growth for the business. Our technology is at the forefront of sports technology, and I couldn’t be more excited. I am proud that we are able to reward our ambitious and industry-pioneering team and have them as shareholders alongside myself.”

“I want to thank the staff and customers for standing by us during this strategic review, which has obviously been an uncertain period. For all of our customers to have stood strong alongside us is testament to the relationships we’ve built over the years, as well as the incredible staff we have here who have fostered those connections.

“The company can now focus on the enormous potential we have, to enable sports teams to get closer to their fans and improve the player experience by bringing their virtual IP to life, with real-time messaging, rewards and engagements.

“Thank you to the management team who have invested to protect the incredible work our talented group has produced. It’s extremely motivating to see the unwavering belief we collectively have in our vision and product. Sadly, the public market is an uncertain place currently, and it’s a challenging environment for growth businesses such as ours.

“The interest and support we’ve had from some of the leading players in the sports industry has given our team great confidence and motivation as we work with some of the world’s largest sporting franchises and leagues.

“Thank you to everyone’s support and to our Board of Directors, who have assisted myself and management throughout.”

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Alpha Affiliates
Advertisement

EveryMatrix

Advertisement

Launch your iGaming business swiftly and effortlessly with our comprehensive turnkey solutions

Trending

Get it on Google Play

EuropeanGaming.eu is a premier online platform that serves as a leading information hub for the gaming and gambling industry. This industry-centric media outlet reaches over 200,000 readers monthly, providing them with compelling content, the latest news, and deep-dive insights.

Offering comprehensive coverage on all aspects of the gaming sector, EuropeanGaming.eu includes online and land-based gaming, betting, esports, regulatory and compliance updates, and technological advancements. Regular features encompass daily news articles, press releases, exclusive interviews, and insightful event reports.

The platform also hosts industry-relevant virtual meetups and conferences, and provides detailed reports, making it a one-stop resource for anyone seeking information about operators, suppliers, regulators, and professional services in the European gaming market. The portal's primary goal is to keep its extensive reader base updated on the latest happenings, trends, and developments within the gaming and gambling sector, with an emphasis on the European market while also covering pertinent global news. It's an indispensable resource for gaming professionals, operators, and enthusiasts alike.

Contact us: [email protected]

Editorial / PR Submissions: [email protected]

Copyright © 2015 - 2024 - European Gaming is part of HIPTHER. Registered in Romania under Proshirt SRL, Company number: 2134306, EU VAT ID: RO21343605. Office address: Blvd. 1 Decembrie 1918 nr.5, Targu Mures, Romania

We are constantly showing banners about important news regarding events and product launches. Please turn AdBlock off in order to see these areas.