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GVC Holdings: Q1 Trading and COVID-19 Planning Update

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GVC Appoints Dr. Mark Griffiths as Special Adviser on Player Protection and Safer Gambling Issues
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GVC Holdings PLC, the global sports betting and gaming group, today reports trading for the period from 1 January to 31 March 2020 (“Q1”) and provides a further update on the impact of COVID-19 and the mitigating actions being taken.  This follows the Group’s previous announcements of 16 and 17 March 2020.

Summary

  • GVC started the year well, with Group net gaming revenue (“NGR”) +1% and Online NGR up +19%cc1 in the first quarter
  • However, the closure of retail outlets and the cancellation of sports events significantly reduced revenue from mid-March
  • In previous announcements the Group estimated the impact of COVID-19 before any mitigating actions equates to a reduction in EBITDA2 of approximately £100m3 per month
  • However, following the initiation of a number of mitigating actions the Group now expects to reduce this EBITDA impact to approximately £50m per month
    • As a result, the average monthly cash outflow would be limited to approximately £15m per month, and the Group is confident that further cost actions will enable it to achieve its target of reducing the cashflow to breakeven
  • The Group’s financial position remains robust, however given the ongoing uncertainty regarding timings of the easing of shutdown measures around the world, the Board has taken the prudent decision to withdraw the second interim dividend that is due for payment on 23 April 2020

Kenneth Alexander, GVC’s CEO, commented:

“As our Q1 trading numbers once again demonstrate, GVC is a business that, in normal times, delivers an outstanding performance.  However, while our global and product diversification is standing us in good stead during the current uncertainty, the COVID-19 pandemic is posing an unprecedented challenge to our business and our industry.  We are responding decisively, and have put in place a range of measures to keep our people safe, strengthen our financial position, limit cash outflow, preserve jobs and maintain a compelling customer offer.  I am confident that we will emerge from this period in a position of strength, and we will be well placed to take advantage of a range of attractive growth opportunities which we believe will be available to us.

“We are also sensitive to the fact that at this time of economic stress and isolation, it is vital that we ensure a safe, responsible and enjoyable gaming environment for our customers and do everything that we can to minimise the potential for harm.  Accordingly, not only have we supported the Betting and Gaming Council’s 10 pledge action plan on safer gambling, but we have gone further and introduced a range of additional safeguarding measures to ensure that we are able to rigorously monitor and protect anyone who may be vulnerable at this time.

“Finally, I would like to thank our outstanding teams around the world for the manner in which they have rapidly adapted to the challenge, and for their continuing hard work and commitment to ensuring GVC’s long-term success.”

Current trading
In its 2019 full year results on 5 March 2020, GVC reported that the current year up to 23 February 2020 had started strongly.  That momentum continued until the Group started to see the impact of COVID-19 on sporting events and store closures in mid-March.

The performance of the Group for the year to 31 March 2020 is set out in the table below, with key highlights as follows:

  • Total Group NGR +1% (+2% cc1)
  • Online NGR +16% (+19% cc1), with continued strong growth in all major territories
  • UK Retail like-for-like (“LFL”)4 NGR -19%
  • European Retail NGR -3% (flat cc1) supported by continued market share gains in Italy
  • For the period 1 January to 15 March 2020 all divisions performed strongly, supported by favourable sports margins:
    • Group NGR +9% (+11% cc1)
    • Online performed strongly across both gaming and sports, with NGR +20% (+23% cc1). Since then there has been an encouraging performance in gaming in the absence of sporting events, in line with the Group’s expectations
    • UK Retail like-for-like (“LFL”)4 NGR -5% despite the annualisation of the triennial review impacts
    • European Retail delivered strong NGR growth at +20% (+24% cc1)
Period 1 January to 31 March 2020
Total NGR Total NGR cc1 Sport Wagers Sports Margin
Online
   Sports 17% 21% (12%) 2.5pp
   Gaming 17% 18%
Total Online 16% 19%
UK Retail (LFL3) (19%) (19%) (8%) 3.3pp
European Retail (3%) flat (21%) 3.7pp
Total Group 1% 2%    

For the avoidance of doubt, the guidance provided on 5 March 2020 is withdrawn.

Impact of COVID-19
On 16 and 17 March 2020 GVC provided assessments of the impact of cancellations of sporting events and store closures on Group EBITDA3 for the year to 31 December 2020.  These announcements were based on the Group’s modelling which assumed that: a) football is suspended across Europe; b) major sporting events are cancelled or postponed (Aintree, Royal Ascot, Euro 2020 etc); c) horse racing in the UK and Ireland is suspended; d) all retail outlets in the UK, Republic of Ireland and mainland Europe are closed; and e) there would be a modest increase in GVC’s gaming business which accounts for 57% of Online NGR.  Taken together, GVC estimated that these events would result in a reduction in EBITDA of approximately £100m3 per month before any mitigating actions.  This would break down by the Group’s key reporting divisions as approximately 20% for Online, 63% for UK Retail and 17% for European Retail.

Mitigating actions
GVC’s teams around the world are working hard to reduce costs and re-prioritise activity in order to preserve free cash, whilst continuing to offer its customers great gaming experiences and to position the Group to emerge from the current restrictions in a position of strength.  A number of opportunities have been identified so far which reduce costs by approximately £50m per month.

For example, in the UK GVC is eligible to receive the government grant towards employment costs as we furlough retail colleagues and retain them on full pay, as well as the business rates relief, which together the Group estimates will reduce costs by nearly £20m per month.

In Italy and Belgium GVC operates a franchising model where the store operating costs (rent, employment, utility and other costs) primarily reside with the franchisee.

Other measures taken include reductions in online sports marketing, sports content and trading costs.

Resultant estimated cash outflow
After adjusting for the impact on EBITDA, adding additional cash costs incurred (such as interest, capex, tax and other costs) and allowing for retail capex reduction, the average monthly cash outflow would be approximately £15m per month.  The Group continues to work through cost mitigation opportunities and is targeting a break-even cashflow per month objective, thereby preserving cash at broadly current levels during this period of retail closures and reduced sporting events.

The following table sets out, for illustrative purposes only, the effect of our modelling and mitigating actions on EBITDA and average cashflow over a month of severe COVID-19 impacts:

Impacts of COVID-19 and mitigations Estimated average monthly amounts
Consensus EBITDA2 for FY2020 as at 31/1/20 £65m
Total EBITDA impact before mitigating actions £(100)m
Mitigating actions £50m
Net EBITDA £15m
Other cash costs incurred (including capex, interest, tax and other items) after retail capex mitigation £(30)m
Net cash utilisation £(15)m

Financial position
GVC is in a robust financial position, with net debt/EBITDA as at 31 December 2019 of 2.69x.  The Group had accessible cash of over £350m at 31 March 2020, of which over £250m is cash at hand after excluding cash held on behalf of customers, cash in shops, ringfenced PSP funds and other items which may not be immediately available.

In addition, GVC has a £550m Revolving Credit Facility (RCF) which is currently undrawn.  This facility has a financial covenant which is only tested if the facility is drawn by more than 35% at a quarter-end.  The covenant measure is calculated on a trailing 12-month pre IFRS 16 basis with a net debt/EBITDA limit of 4X.  Unrealised synergies can be added to EBITDA.

GVC currently has two bonds in issue, totalling £500m.  One of £100m is due 2022 and one of £400m is due 2023.  In addition, the Group has Term Loans of €1,125m and $786m, both due 2024.

Dividend
Due to the ongoing uncertainty as to how long restrictions as a result of COVID-19 will be in place around the world, the Board has taken the prudent decision to withdraw the payment of the second interim dividend of 17.6p per share announced on 5 March 2020.  This was due to be paid on 23 April 2020 with a total cash cost of £103m.  However, the Board recognises the importance of dividends as a part of shareholder returns and will consider dividends with future results announcements.

2019 Annual Report and Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) and Directors Remuneration
The Group’s annual report for 2019 is today published on the Group’s website at gvc-plc.com.  Copies will be posted to those shareholders requesting a hard copy as soon as it is practical to do so.  The 2020 AGM was scheduled to be held on 30 April and in normal circumstances an AGM Notice would be circulated with the annual report.  Owing to the public health guidance on social distancing, the Board has decided to postpone the AGM.  The Group will issue an AGM Notice once the Board is confident it can safely hold a meeting on a specified date.

The 2019 Annual report sets out details of the directors’ 2019 incentive outcomes and 2020 implementation.  However, the payment of directors’ 2019 bonuses and the grant of the 2020 LTIP awards have been postponed.  The Remuneration committee will consider the impact of COVID-19 on GVC’s performance and remuneration in due course and review the implementation of the policy for 2020 as appropriate.

 

Notes

  • Growth on a constant currency basis is calculated by translating both 2020 and 2019 performance at the 2020 exchange rates.
  • As at 31 January 2020, company compiled EBITDA consensus for the financial year to 31 December 2020 was £776.3m on a pre-IFRS 16 basis.
  • The £100m approximate impact on monthly EBITDA is derived from the two announcements of 16 & 17 March as follows: The EBITDA impact over 3.5 months of sports and major events cancelations and European Retail closures of approximately £130m – £150m equating to approximately £37m – £43m per month; the EBITDA impact of UK Retail store closures of approximately £45m – £50m per month; and the EBITDA impact of the cancellation of horse racing in the UK & Ireland of approximately £20m- £25m per month. Taking each of these at the mid-point and allowing for overlap derives an approximate monthly impact on EBITDA of £100m.
  • UK Retail numbers are quoted on a LFL basis. During the period, there were an average of 3,131 shops in the estate, compared to an average of 3,464 in the same period last year.

 

About GVC Holdings PLC:
GVC Holdings PLC is one of the world’s largest sports-betting and gaming groups, operating both online and in the retail sector.  The Group owns a comprehensive portfolio of established brands; Sports Brands include bwin, Coral, Crystalbet, Eurobet, Ladbrokes, Neds and Sportingbet; Gaming Brands include CasinoClub, Foxy Bingo, Gala, Gioco Digitale, partypoker and PartyCasino. The Group owns proprietary technology across all of its core product verticals and in addition to its B2C operations provides services to a number of third-party customers on a B2B basis. The Group has also entered into a joint-venture with MGM Resorts to capitalise on the sports-betting and gaming opportunity in the US.  The Group, incorporated in the Isle of Man, is a constituent of the FTSE 250 index and has licences in more than 20 countries, across five continents.

For more information see the Group’s website: www.gvc-plc.com

Industry News

Golden Matrix Acquisition of MeridianBet Group Receives High Praise from IPO Edge

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Reading Time: 2 minutes

 

Esteemed financial analysts at IPO Edge recognize the merged Golden Matrix and MeridianBet Group entity as a burgeoning global gaming leader with a promising financial outlook and innovation

Golden Matrix Group Incorporated (NASDAQ:GMGI) (Golden Matrix) and MeridianBet Group, the newly-consolidated entity in the online gaming world, are honored to receive positive analysis from IPO Edge, a leading portal known for its insightful and credible financial analyses.

The distinguished coverage highlighted the Golden Matrix acquisition of MeridianBet Group as having a significant potential to reshape the gaming landscape, focusing on the combined entity’s strategic positioning for expansive growth and technological innovation.

The entire analysis can be found at: https:/ /IPO-Edge. com/strike-gold-with-gmgi-and-meridianbets-global-gaming-powerhouse/

IPO Edge Insights

The recent article by IPO Edge analysts casts a spotlight on the strategic merits of the $300 million acquisition of MeridianBet Group by Golden Matrix. According to the portal, this bold move is poised to establish a global gaming juggernaut with projected sales reaching $182 million by 2025. The merger not only signifies a monumental leap in market expansion, spanning over 15 markets including Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia but also underscores the entity’s prowess in emerging markets such as Mexico, Tanzania and Peru.

A Story of Strategic Growth and Innovation

At the heart of the Golden Matrix acquisition of MeridianBet Group lies a shared commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction as the combined group owns a scalable tech platform that leverages machine learning for continuous improvement, alongside unique betting features like Empty Bet, which empowers players to craft their own bets. This synergy of technological advancement and market intelligence sets the stage for an unprecedented growth trajectory in the online gaming sector.

Financial Prudence and Future Prospects

Underscoring the merger’s financial strategy, IPO Edge commends the conservative financing approach, with an anticipated 2x leverage post-merger. This prudent fiscal management, coupled with the leadership of Chief Executive Officer Brian Goodman, enhances the company’s capacity for further strategic mergers and acquisitions.

The CSR Segment

The merger’s dedication to corporate social responsibility, with initiatives aimed at converting players into patrons of meaningful CSR programs, distinguishes it beyond financials and market expansion. This commitment reflects a broader vision of achieving profitability while fostering a positive social impact.

The Market Potential Not Yet Anticipated

As pointed out by this analysis, the market may not fully recognize Golden Matrix’s potential yet. The company’s enterprise value is close to $400 million. That compares with multiples of eight times for Caesar’s Entertainment and a whopping 22 times for DraftKings, according to Sentieo, an AI-enabled research platform.

For more information about the Golden Matrix, please visit https:/ /GoldenMatrix. com/company/ or https:/ /ir.MeridianBet. com/.

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Real Dealer Studios: Offering a fresh spin on classic roulette

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Real Dealer Studios: Offering a fresh spin on classic roulette
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Shane Cotter at Real Dealer Studios walks us through the groundbreaking new release, Volcano Roulette, and discusses whether classic table games need a makeover for today’s online audience.

Roulette is probably the most timeless casino game out there. Here’s what happened when we gave it a couple more balls. And a volcano.

The game we’re now launching is Volcano Roulette, and it’s fair to say that it’s a huge departure from what the industry is used to. The first thing players will see is the sleek, steampunk environment and a roulette wheel with that smoking volcano right in the middle. The game’s visuals, compared with typical RNG games, are several steps ahead thanks to the Cinematic RNG technology that Real Dealer invented. Essentially, this means the game was built on video that was produced the same way Hollywood films are made.

As cool as this game looks, it’s really the mechanics that set it apart. In every round, once the spin starts, one or two glowing lava balls can randomly shoot out of the volcano to become part of the action. These extra balls increase the chance of hitting a straight-up bet. If the player does land any straight-up bet, a special sequence starts where the numbers on the wheel shift, steampunk style, into multipliers. Then another lava ball erupts out to pick the multiplier for the straight-up bet win. These multipliers can be as much as 333x and apply to all straight up bets that land in the round. That means the player could win up to 999x their bet.

An eruption of innovation

What sparked this game’s theme is once again related to Cinematic RNG. We’ve got this amazing technology that gives us a huge amount of flexibility. It lets us make hyper-realistic looking games with any kind of action and put them in any setting we choose.

So one of our designers got the idea to have a roulette wheel where the numbers could drop down, shift, flip over and pop back up with different numbers, all of which would happen in an old-fashioned, mechanical looking way.

We were also having ongoing discussions about how to revamp the process of releasing the ball onto the table. And after a few sessions at the drawing board, we had the great idea of including a volcano.

Between the steaming volcano and the mechanical action of the changing numbers, the steampunk theme basically chose itself. Our 3D designers then set to work creating all the mechanical lightbulbs, cogs turning and all these different dials that give the game its character.

A degree of familiarity

Volcano Roulette is obviously a huge departure from what long-time players are used to. The challenge with revamping a classic is ensuring that when you innovate, you retain those elements of the game that the players love. That’s a balance that I believe Real Dealer Studios has managed to achieve.

That brings us to the question of whether online roulette needs a makeover. And the answer is both yes and no. As you can imagine, different players are after different experiences from the games that they play. Some prefer the classics while others want something completely new.

When this table game first moved into the digital space, it started off as a computer animation. It later improved, but still has that animated RNG feel. Later live games came in and have gained their own following. But for existing table game players used to that classic bricks-and-mortar casino feel or just looking for something higher quality, there was nothing out there.

Seeing this, we developed cinematic RNG to deliver a much better online experience, with enhanced audio-visual quality and heightened gameplay compared to other table games you find online. I wouldn’t call this a makeover – it’s getting back to what this game is all about and doing a better job of it in the online environment.

Of course, there are other players who are expecting new twists to the game. The key to catering to these different demands from players is to have an extensive portfolio that spans multiple themes and includes a range of features. Some might be done in classic style and include a dealer, others might be automatic and have multipliers.

Attracting new audiences

Where a full-fledged makeover becomes useful is when you’re trying to cross-sell table games to the larger pools of players coming from sportsbook and slots. The challenge here, however, is that each of these two demographics requires a completely unique approach.

To reach sports bettors, for example, we have created games that tie into real-world sporting events. Just last year, we had Hockey Fever Roulette which was launched for the Ice Hockey World Championship in May. The game was set in a man cave loaded with fan memorabilia and had rock music playing in the background. It was everything you would want in a hockey-themed game.

That was then followed by Rugby Fever Roulette, which was launched ahead of the Rugby World Cup. We wanted to make this game more personalised for each player, so we built a feature where players could choose between dealers and switch the visuals and thematics to match their favourite team.

Obviously, attracting new audiences was a major focus for these two games. But creating sports-themed titles also provided our operator partners with an opportunity to work our games into their event promotions. So, it had marketing benefits too.

Engaging with slots players is a completely different ballgame, however. Traditionally, there isn’t much cross-over between slots and table games. We therefore had to find a common ground between the two verticals. This is where slots-type features like multipliers, collect features and unique designs came into play. Cinematic RNG has really helped us here, letting us create some fantastic mechanics and immersive designs catering to the slots crowd.

Recently we took an even bolder step into the slots realm by partnering with the producers of an enormously popular slots title, 9 Masks of Fire. Our roulette version of the legendary game became an instant hit.

As 2024 progresses, we have plenty more titles in the pipeline which we are confident will offer a new spin on the classics and continue to drive engagement with players. Stay tuned!

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Industry News

Cheltenham and Grand National 2025 start now

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Cheltenham and Grand National 2025 start now
Reading Time: 3 minutes

 

The madness of Cheltenham and Grand National has been and gone. Congratulations on surviving; you’ve made it through and live to fight another day. So, what’s top of the agenda for today? Preparation for the 2025 edition’s of the Cheltenham Festival and the Grand National, of course!

Here are the six key planning and strategy points to consider in order to give yourself the best possible chance of success next spring.

The work begins now

Yes, Cheltenham 2025 is a long time away. But everything is fresh in your mind as of this moment. Many of the changes you may end up acting on could take a long time to execute, and there’s undoubtedly going to be countless foreseen and unforeseen priorities between now and the end of the year. Start now whilst 2024 performance is fresh in your mind and fresh within the wider business psyche. Keep the festival mindset running for as long as possible to maintain momentum and get flying out the stalls.

Involve all parts of the business

This is not just an exercise for the IT department. Every relevant stakeholder from around the business should be represented. What were customers saying to Customer Services? How did Trading cope when their bet tickers slowed down? What offers and promotions did Marketing take note of that they would like to offer next time? Bring in stakeholders from all business arms to create a holistic view of where the opportunities lie and what challenges need to be overcome.

Look at the data

Get hold of all of your performance metrics from every component of your systems and take the time to do a deep-dive analysis on those numbers. If you haven’t got all the metrics that you’d like to have to hand? Well, there’s your starting point for the list of ‘things to fix immediately’.

Be honest with yourselves

Getting business involvement, analysing all the data, and prompt planning is all well and good. But if you’re not going to be brutally honest with yourselves as an organisation, it may be all for nothing. Yes, it’s important to acknowledge everyone’s hard work and remember all the things that you did right. But you also have to be your own harshest critics about what didn’t go so well and what could be improved on. There’s really no point in doing all this if you’re not going to seriously challenge yourselves to do better.

Next year won’t be the same as this year

You’re going to be delivering a various new features and functionalities, as well as making many changes to your internal systems over the next twelve months. So the technical landscape that 2025’s Cheltenham Festival and Grand National inhabited will be very different to the one just gone. How will that fancy new bet builder widget in development hold up under the unique stresses of Grand National day? What will your new AI recommendations engine do when everyone’s betting on just one event? You don’t need to answer these questions right now, and it’s highly likely that you won’t be able to answer all of these questions now. But you need to bake in consideration of Cheltenham and Grand National to your non-functional requirements for every change you make in the coming months.

Get a high-level plan diarised

You need to start now but you can’t finish now. This is something you’re going to need to come back to periodically until those Cheltenham gates open. It’s a simple but powerful scheduling task: put the key staging posts in relevant team’s diaries now. You don’t want wake up in a cold sweat one morning in January realising that you’re two months out from the Greatest Show on Turf and haven’t made notable progress on the fixes required from this year’s festivals.

 

By: Graham Cassell, Partner at Circle Squared

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