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Sportradar Reports Strong Growth in Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2021

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Fourth quarter revenue grew 41% while full year 2021 revenue grew 39%, exceeding Company’s outlook
Annual revenue surpasses €500 million for the first time in Company’s history
Company projects solid annual revenue growth of 18% to 25% in fiscal 2022
Secured multiyear partnerships with NHL, NBA, ITF, ICC, UEFA, Bundesliga

Sportradar Group AG, a leading global technology company enabling next generation engagement in sports, and the number one provider of business-to-business solutions to the global sports betting industry, today announced financial results for its fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2021.

Full Year 2021 Highlights and Annual Outlook

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  • Revenue for the full year of 2021 increased 39% to €561.2 million ($634.2 million)1 compared with the prior year, driven by strong growth across all business segments. Full year revenue exceeded the top end of the Company’s 2021 annual outlook range of €553 – €555 million.
  • Adjusted EBITDA2 for the full year of 2021 increased 33% to €102.0 million ($115.3 million)1 compared with the prior year. Full year Adjusted EBITDA exceeded the top end of the Company’s 2021 annual outlook range of €99.5 – €101.5 million.
  • Adjusted EBITDA2 for 2021 excluding Sportradar’s September 2021 Initial Public Offering (IPO) costs was €113.7 million ($128.5 million)1.
  • Adjusted EBITDA margin2 for 2021 was 18% compared with 19% for 2020. Excluding IPO costs, Adjusted EBITDA margin was 20% for 2021.
  • Strong Dollar-Based Net Retention Rate2 increased to 125% for fiscal 2021 compared with 113% for fiscal 2020 highlighting the continued success of the Company’s cross-sell and upsell strategy across its global customer base.
  • Cash and cash equivalents totaled €742.8 million as of December 31, 2021. Total liquidity available for use at December 31, 2021, including undrawn credit facilities was €852.8 million.
  • Sportradar extended multiyear partnerships with the National Hockey League (NHL), National Basketball Association (NBA), International Tennis Federation (ITF) and Bundesliga International, in addition to securing new deals with the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). These deals reinforce Sportradar’s leadership as a trusted technology and data partner to the biggest leagues and federations around the world.
  • The Company provided an annual outlook for full-year 2022 for revenue and Adjusted EBITDA2. Revenue is expected to be in the range of €665.0 million to €700.0 million and Adjusted EBITDA2 is expected to be in the range of €123.0 million to €133.0 million. Please see the “Annual Financial Outlook” section of this press release for further details.

Fourth Quarter 2021 Highlights

  • Revenue in the fourth quarter of 2021 increased 41% to €152.4 million ($172.2 million)1 compared with the fourth quarter of 2020, driven by robust growth across all business segments.
  • Continued strong performance in the U.S. market with U.S. revenue increasing by 92% to €23.2 million ($26.2 million) 1 compared with the fourth quarter of 2020.
  • Adjusted EBITDA2 in the fourth quarter of 2021 increased 14.0% to €21.4 million ($24.2 million)1 compared with the fourth quarter of 2020.
  • Adjusted EBITDA margin2 was 14% in the fourth quarter of 2021, compared with 17% over the prior year primarily as a result of increased investment in content and technology, higher costs related to being a public company, as well as higher M&A costs.
  • Adjusted Free Cash Flow2 in the fourth quarter of 2021 decreased to (€22.5) million which resulted in a cash flow conversion2 of (105.1%) primarily as a result of additional interest from the Company’s senior secured term loan facility originating in November 2020, timing of sports data licensing payments to leagues, IPO related payments as well as higher costs associated with being a public company.

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1 For the convenience of the reader, we have translated Euros amounts in the tables below at the noon buying rate of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on December 30, 2021, which was €1.00 to $1.13.
2 Non-IFRS financial measure; see “Non-IFRS Financial Measures and Operating Metrics” and accompanying tables for further explanations and reconciliations of non-IFRS measures to IFRS measures.

Key Financial Measures

In millions, in Euros Q4 Q4 Change FY FY Change
2021 2020 % 2021 2020 %
Revenue 152.4 108.0 41% 561.2 404.9 39%
Adjusted EBITDA2 21.4 18.8 14% 102.0 76.9 33%
Adjusted EBITDA margin2 14.0% 17.4% 18.2% 19.0%
Adjusted Free Cash Flow2 (22.5) 7.1 14.5 53.5 (73%)
Cash Flow Conversion2 (105.1%) 37.5% 14.3% 69.6%

Carsten Koerl, Chief Executive Officer of Sportradar said: “I am very pleased with our strong results, which illustrate how well we are delivering on our operational and growth plans. Importantly, we have good momentum going into our next fiscal year. We are continuing to invest in content, technology and people that will allow us to deliver profitable growth in line with our goals.

Koerl continued, “We are particularly pleased about more than doubling our year-over-year revenues in the United States, which continues its explosive sports betting growth story. Sportradar has been a leader in this market since 2014, and we’re now seeing the results of our early investment. We continue to see the enormous opportunity as sports betting becomes an increasingly integral part of the media entertainment fabric in the U.S.

Segment Information

RoW Betting

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  • Segment revenue in the fourth quarter of 2021 increased by 30% to €82.2 million compared with the fourth quarter of 2020. This growth was driven primarily by uptake in our higher value-add offerings including Managed Betting Services (MBS) and Live Odds Services, which increased by 74% and 26% respectively. MBS experienced record turnover3 and Live Odds grew as a result of higher volume of sports coverage.
  • Segment Adjusted EBITDA2 in the fourth quarter of 2021 increased by 58% to €45.7 million compared with the fourth quarter of 2020. Segment Adjusted EBITDA margin2 improved to 56% from 46% compared with the fourth quarter of 2020 driven by growth in higher margin products.
  • Full year 2021 revenue grew 32% to €309.4 million compared with the prior year of 2020. Full year Adjusted EBITDA2 increased 49% to €177.0 million. Full year 2021 Adjusted EBITDA margin2 improved to 57% from 51% in the prior year.

1 For the convenience of the reader, we have translated Euros amounts in the tables below at the noon buying rate of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on December 30, 2021, which was €1.00 to $1.13.
2 Non-IFRS financial measure; see “Non-IFRS Financial Measures and Operating Metrics” and accompanying tables for further explanations and reconciliations of non-IFRS measures to IFRS measures.
3 Turnover is the total amount of stakes placed and accepted in betting.

RoW Audiovisual (AV)

  • Segment revenue increased in the fourth quarter of 2021 by 52% to €35.6 million compared with the fourth quarter of 2020.  This growth was primarily a result of increased volume of streaming services across all major sports.
  • Segment Adjusted EBITDA2 in the fourth quarter of 2021 increased by 77% to €9.9 million compared with the fourth quarter of 2020. Segment Adjusted EBITDA margin2 improved to 28% from 24% compared with the fourth quarter of 2020.
  • Full year 2021 revenue grew 32% to €140.2 million compared with the prior year of 2020. Full year Adjusted EBITDA2 increased 47% to €39.2 million. Full year 2021 Adjusted EBITDA margin2 improved to 28% from 25% in the prior year.

United States

  • Segment revenue in the fourth quarter of 2021 increased by 92% to €23.2 million compared with the fourth quarter of 2020. This growth was driven by our increased sales of U.S. Betting services as the underlying market and turnover3 grew. We also experienced strong adoption of our ad:s product, growth in U.S. Media and a positive impact from the acquisition of Synergy Sports.
  • Segment Adjusted EBITDA2 in the fourth quarter of 2021 decreased to (€7.6) million compared with the fourth quarter of 2020 primarily due to increased investment in the Company’s league and team solutions focused business. Segment Adjusted EBITDA margin2 decreased to (33%) from 11% compared with the fourth quarter of 2020 reflecting the aforementioned increased investment.
  • Full year 2021 revenue grew 108% to €71.7 million compared with the prior year of 2020. Full year Adjusted EBITDA2 decreased 38% to (€22.6) million. Full year 2021 Adjusted EBITDA margin2 improved to (32%) from (48%) in the prior year.

Costs and Expenses

  • Personnel expenses in the fourth quarter of 2021 increased by €12.7 million to €47.0 million compared with the fourth quarter of 2020 primarily resulting from additional hires in the Company’s product and technology organizations (2,959 FTE in the fourth quarter of 2021 vs 2,366 FTE in the fourth quarter of 2020).
  • Other Operating expenses in the fourth quarter of 2021 increased by €13.3 million to €27.2 million compared with the fourth quarter of 2020 mainly driven by higher travel and entertainment and marketing costs as pandemic restrictions eased, higher M&A costs as well as increased costs to implement a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system.
  • Total Sport rights costs in the fourth quarter of 2021 increased by €8.8 million to €38.5 million compared with the fourth quarter of 2020, primarily resulting from a normalized schedule in sports such as NBA, NHL and MLB, as COVID-19 pandemic restrictions eased.

2 Non-IFRS financial measure; see “Non-IFRS Financial Measures and Operating Metrics” and accompanying tables for further explanations and reconciliations of non-IFRS measures to IFRS measures.
3 Turnover is the total amount of stakes placed and accepted in betting.

Fourth Quarter Business Highlights

  • Sportradar and the NBA announced an expansive multiyear partnership agreement that will see the NBA, Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and NBA G League use Sportradar’s global and wide-ranging capabilities to grow U.S. operations, increase their international footprint and drive fan engagement. This new partnership begins with the 2023-24 NBA season and provides the NBA with an equity stake in Sportradar.
  • The Company extended its long-term partnership with Bundesliga International, a subsidiary of DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga, featuring a suite of AI-driven fan engagement tools which enable Genrmany’s top football league to better engage fans.
  • Sportradar also extended its partnership with Kambi, a leading global sports betting supplier. The deal reestablishes Sportradar as Kambi’s exclusive supplier of NBA, NHL, MLB, and college sports data in the US market.
  • Sportradar announced a new multi-year partnership with PointsBet, a premier global online gambling operator, that establishes Sportradar as PointsBet’s US supplier of choice for MLB, NBA, NHL, college football, and college basketball data.
  • Sportradar announced a partnership with UEFA’s as their exclusive authorized collector and distributor of data for betting purposes, as well as extending its role as UEFA’s official integrity partner. The Company secured this landmark agreement following UEFA’s first competitive tender process for its data distribution rights for betting purposes.
  • The Company strengthened its existing partnership with ITF with a three-year extension to serve as the ITF’s official data partner.
  • Sportradar was selected by the ICC making Sportradar its Official Data Distribution and Official Betting Live Streaming Partner. The partnership will create more opportunities for the ICC to engage with its fan base through Sportradar’s network of 1,000 media and sports-betting clients across 80 countries.
  • The Company underlined its commitment to protecting the integrity of sport with the launch of Universal Fraud Detection System (UFDS) free of charge. Sportradar Integrity services has utilized UFDS, to detect suspicious activity in 12 sports across more than 70 countries. Sportradar will begin delivering its UFDS bet monitoring service free of charge, to sports federations, sports leagues, and state authorities around the world, in its continued commitment to protecting the integrity of global sport and making the system accessible to all.
  • Sportradar announced significant high-profile hires to further strengthen its US team, including Andrew Bimson as North American Chief Operating Officer, Jim Brown as Head of Integrity Services & Harm Prevention and Rima Hyder as Head of Investor Relations.

Annual Financial Outlook

Sportradar is providing its outlook for fiscal 2022.

  • Revenue is expected to be in the range of €665.0 million to €700.0 million ($752.0 million to $791.0 million)1, representing growth of 18% to 25% over fiscal 2021.
  • Adjusted EBITDA2 is expected to be in the range of €123.0 million to €133.0 million ($139.0 million to $150.0 million) 1, representing growth of 21% to 30% over fiscal 2021.
  • Adjusted EBITDA margin2 is expected to be in the range of 18.5% to 19.0%, an improvement over the prior year.

1 For the convenience of the reader, we have translated Euros amounts in the tables below at the noon buying rate of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on December 30, 2021, which was €1.00 to $1.13.
2 Non-IFRS financial measure; see “Non-IFRS Financial Measures and Operating Metrics” and accompanying tables for further explanations and reconciliations of non-IFRS measures to IFRS measures.

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Scientific Games Partnership Wins 2024 Gutenberg Award for Sustainability

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Scientific Games, in partnership with Loto-Québec, Sustana Papers and Recyc-Québec, won the 2024 Gutenberg Award for sustainability at the 42nd Gala Gutenberg. The Gutenberg Awards are the Québec printing industry’s premier event, highlighting the talent, creativity and expertise of printing artisans.

The partnership’s winning entry was the Le Billet Vert (The Green Ticket) lottery instant scratch game launched by Loto-Québec in April 2024. The game was printed on 100% recycled board provided by Sustana Papers, with 100% water-based inks. Scientific Games enhanced the sustainability of the production process by packing completed games in boxes containing 60% recycled fiber and delivering them on reused European Pallet Association pallets.

The game promotes the recycling of lottery tickets, inviting players to download Recyc-Québec’s Ça va où? (Where Does It Go?) mobile app. The app teaches users to correctly sort recyclables and shows them drop-off locations for various types of household waste.

Isabelle Jean, Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of Lottery Games for Loto-Québec, said, “Since our first scratch game printed on 100% recycled paper stock debuted in 2021, our sustainability efforts have only increased. Congratulations to our team members from Loto-Québec, Scientific Games, Sustana Papers and Recyc-Québec for their vision. Together, we are reducing the environmental footprint of our games.”

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The sustainable materials and game production techniques used for Le Billet Vert saved 110 mature trees, the equivalent of 326 10-minute showers, and the electrical power of 882,587 60-watt lightbulbs in one hour (Sustana Solutions eco calculator).

Marc-Andre Doyon, Vice President Canada for Scientific Games, said, “Through this collaboration, Scientific Games and our partners lead the global lottery industry in instant game sustainability. It’s truly an honor to win the Gutenberg Award for our efforts.”

Le Billet Vert is the thirteenth 100% recyclable game created for Loto-Québec since 2021 when Scientific Games and the Lottery began collaborating on a project to bring sustainable instant games to the lottery industry. Another game from this collection, Folie des plantes (Plant Madness), won the Gutenberg Award for sustainability in 2022. Other 100% recyclable Loto-Québec games produced by Scientific Games include Evasion (Escape), Code secret (Secret Code), SLINGO 10X and C’est quoi ton signe? (What’s Your Sign?).

Scientific Games is Loto-Québec’s primary instant game partner, producing the Lottery’s first instant game more than 50 years ago. The company has employed generations of Québécois professionals from their Montréal production facility, which produces instant games for Canadian and European lotteries.

With products that generate more than 70% of global instant game retail sales, Scientific Games is the world’s largest instant games creator, producer and services provider, and the primary provider to nine of the Top 10 performing instant game lotteries in the world (La Fleur’s 2024 World Lottery Almanac).

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Industry Awards

Soft2Bet’s Betinia shortlisted in five categories of the EGR Marketing and Innovation Awards

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Nominations in five categories of the EGR Marketing and Innovation Awards is further recognition of Soft2Bet’s cutting-edge gamification solutions and innovative approach.

Soft2Bet, a leading provider of iGaming turnkey solutions, is delighted to announce that Betinia, its renowned brand in Denmark and Sweden, has been shortlisted in five categories of the EGR Marketing and Innovation Awards 2024.

The nominations are recognition of the incredible work that has been achieved by the Betinia team in two of Europe’s most competitive and regulated markets.

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Betinia’s shortlisting in the following categories:

  • Best Native App,
  • CRM Campaign,
  • Innovation in Sports Betting,
  • Innovation of The Year,
  • Responsible Gambling Marketing Campaign of the Year, demonstrates how it has grown into being one of the most innovative and progressive operators in the industry.

Soft2Bet was recognised in February when its Motivational Engineering Gaming Application (MEGA) gamification solution won the Innovation of the Year at the EGR Nordics Awards and it is delighted to see its achievements gain further recognition with these shortlist nominations.

Oksana Tsyhankova, CMO of Soft2Bet, commented: “Being shortlisted in five categories is a great achievement and huge credit goes to our technical, product and marketing teams. Betinia’s success in two of Europe’s most competitive and regulated markets is also highly satisfying because it showcases our B2C expertise in driving engagement, retention and revenues.”

The post Soft2Bet’s Betinia shortlisted in five categories of the EGR Marketing and Innovation Awards appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Betmotion

Betmotion leads campaign to aid victims of the Rio Grande do Sul floods

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In response to the recent and devastating floods in Rio Grande do Sul, which have displaced over 100,000 people and severely affected 70% of the state’s municipalities, Betmotion, through its Corporate Social Responsibility project, BetSocial, is mobilising efforts to assist the victims of this catastrophe.

BetSocial has launched an initiative to support the actions of the NGOs Ação da Cidadania and CUFA, which are leading the charge in providing immediate aid to the impacted communities. At this critical moment, BetSocial is reinforcing the call for everyone to unite in solidarity and make donations that will be crucial for reconstructing affected lives.

“The tragedy that has struck Rio Grande do Sul requires a swift and coordinated response. At Betmotion, we believe in the power of solidarity and in our community’s ability to make a difference in times of need,” states Bianca Passos, founding member of BetSocial. “Every contribution, no matter how small, has a significant impact on the lives of those facing such difficult days.”

To facilitate donations, BetSocial has provided information on how to make contributions via PIX to the two partner organisations:

Betmotion and BetSocial thank you in advance for your support and solidarity. They reiterate their commitment to work to alleviate the hardships faced by this catastrophe’s victims and continue promoting significant social impact actions.

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