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LeoVegas AB: Q4 report and financial targets pushed one year to 2021
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”After a challenging 2018 we now see improved momentum with a record strong December and a positive start to 2019. Entering the new year we have full focus on expansion, cost control, increased profitability and to continue building the world’s best mobile casino.” – Gustaf Hagman, Group CEO
Fourth quarter 2018: 1 October– 31 December 2018
- Revenue increased by 25% to EUR 84.5 m (67.8).
- Organic growth in local currencies was 7%. Organic growth in local currencies excluding the UK was 14%.
- EBITDA was EUR 8.1 m (6.1), corresponding to an EBITDA margin of 9.6% (9.0%).
- Net Gaming Revenue (NGR) from regulated markets was 33% (29%) of total NGR.
- The number of depositing customers was 327,156 (253,299), an increase of 29%.
- The number of returning depositing customers was 181,747 (124,890), an increase of 46%.
- Earnings per share were EUR 0.22 (0.02) before dilution and EUR 0.22 (0.01) after dilution.
Events during the quarter
- LeoVegas has applied for a gambling licence for the Spanish market. Approval and implementation are expected during the first or second quarter of 2019.
- LeoVegas was one of the first operators to receive a licence for both casino and sports betting in Sweden.
Events after the end of the quarter
- LeoVegas has postponed its financial targets from 2020 to 2021 due to developments in the UK market. However, the direction remains unchanged with financial targets in absolute numbers to reach EUR 600 m in revenue and EUR 100 m in EBITDA.
- The Group’s Pixel.bet brand was granted a licence for online casino and sports betting in Sweden.
- The Board proposes a total dividend of SEK 1.20 per share (1.20), to be paid out on two occasions during the year.
- Revenue amounted to EUR 28.7 m (24.8) in January, representing growth of 16%.
Comment from Gustaf Hagman – Group CEO
2018 – an educational year for a seven-year old
2018 was the most challenging year in LeoVegas’ history. We bumped into challenges that we have not previously encountered and saw a slowdown in growth as a result. It was also a year in which we carried out a number of strategically crucial projects that have taken us large steps forward on our growth journey. There is much left to do, and there’s no doubt we can and will improve in many areas. We have learned a lot, and our position for achieving our long-term vision – to be the global market leader in mobile casino – is good. Today we are already the most appreciated brand in our home market in Sweden, and we are live in more markets than ever before. We are well-invested with our own technology, which makes us scalable and flexible, and we have taken large leaps in responsible gaming and compliance. Our multibrand strategy is in place, enabling us to rapidly launch new casino brands, and we are ready to expand in more markets in 2019 with an overall focus on cost control and increased profitability.
During the fourth quarter we also returned to sequential growth following a slowdown during the third quarter, and we ended the year with all-time high revenues in December, and with record-high customer activity. The new year has also started on a promising note – for example, our depositing customer base was up 42% in January. LeoVegas has just celebrated seven years as a company. We have achieved a lot in a short period of time, but we are still just at the start of our growth journey.
Fourth quarter figures
Revenue during the fourth quarter amounted to EUR 84.5 m (67.8), an increase of 25%. Organic growth in local currencies was 7%. As in the preceding quarter, growth during the period was affected by weak performance in the UK. Excluding the UK, organic growth for the Group was 14% during the quarter, which shows healthy underlying growth. October was the weakest month during the quarter, and December the strongest.
EBITDA totalled EUR 8.1 m (6.1), corresponding to an EBITDA margin of 9.6% (9.0%). We increased our investments in marketing during the quarter, among other things to reassure our leading position in Sweden ahead of the market’s regulation, but also in other key markets. Marketing costs amounted to 37.9% during the fourth quarter, compared with 35.6% during the third quarter. Our personnel costs in relation to revenue remained at a higher level than we are pleased with. We will thus now focus on cost control, improving efficiency in our ways of working, and increase automation in our operations. This is also necessary in order to adapt our cost base to rising tax pressure in our regulated markets.
Sweden – finally a regulated market
The day we have been waiting for has finally arrived, when Sweden became a regulated market. We were among the first companies to be granted a licence, which is a quality seal and confirms our position as a leading, long-term and serious player in the industry. In January, LeoVegas’ Pixel.bet brand also received a licence in Sweden for casino and sports betting. Pixel.bet has the ambition to take the leading brand position in esports betting.
A regulated market has extensive guidelines for responsible gaming. We have good experience from other regulated markets, and we have developed the organisation and our marketing methods to offer our games in the best, sustainable way. We look forward to working side-by-side the Swedish Gambling Authority and our licensed competitors to ensure a sound and responsible market that impedes the presence of unlicensed actors.
With regulation of the market, all licensed gaming companies are now free to operate in stores. LeoVegas was the first one to grasp this opportunity in January. There is important symbolic value in having a physical presence at betting agents in connection with the implementation of the new gambling law in Sweden. We will now be able to truly challenge to the old monopoly through a greater exposure of our LeoVegas brand with an even closer presence to our customers in a new type of environment.
Regulation of the market in Sweden also made it possible for us to launch the popular Swish mobile payment method in the Swedish market. Swish both strengthens our customer offering and is expected to significantly lower our transaction costs.
Improvements in the product combined with increased marketing led to a strong fourth quarter in Sweden, with 18% sequential growth, which affirms our position as the leading casino brand. The new year has also started on a positive note for LeoVegas in Sweden. We have seen record-high customer activity, with 28% growth of our Swedish depositing customer base compared with the same period a year ago. At the same time, revenue is down somewhat compared with the same period a year ago, which is partly due to many customers initially using their welcome bonuses, but also to some trim-in challenges during the first two weeks following the start of regulation, and to the fact that players are getting accustomed to certain modifications in the gaming experience.
It is still hard to accurately predict the market dynamics in Sweden in the near term, but with a record-large active customer base and a large number of exciting product and marketing initiatives under way during the year, we are well positioned in our home market. As previously, we are confident that our product, customer experience, competence in responsible gaming, very strong brand and data-driven marketing will lead to higher market shares in Sweden.
UK
The UK is Europe’s largest gambling market and a market in which LeoVegas sees continued major growth potential in the long term. Together with our brands in Rocket X, LeoVegas and Royal Panda we have a unique multibrand position in casino. In the near term the market continues to be challenging, and after a transitional period we are now working from a new, lower level on which to grow. Our revenue continued to decrease sequentially during the fourth quarter, but with gradual improvements in both revenue and KPIs. This positive development continued on Group level during January. It is still too early to declare that we have turned the corner yet in the UK, but we are confident with the plan we have charted out.
Scale-up markets
We are satisfied with our performance in most of our markets during the fourth quarter. Germany continues to be a strong growth market and once again delivered a record quarter with growth of more than 200%. In addition to Germany – Finland, Denmark and Canada amongst other markets delivered good results during the quarter.
Changes in Group Management team
As previously communicated, Richard Woodbridge has been recruited as our new Chief Operating Officer. He took up his position on 7 January and has overarching responsibility for operations in LeoVegas. Richard is based at LeoVegas’ offices in Malta.
Group Management has also been reinforced with Avshalom Lazar, who we recruited as Chief Compliance & Legal Officer. Avshalom, who is based in Malta, will strengthen the Group Management team with relevant knowledge about the industry and an understanding of and experience in the higher requirements that are placed on companies in regulated markets.
We are also adding a new role to the Group Management, Chief Product and Technical Officer (CPTO), where we are combining the CTO and CPO roles. Mattias Wedar has been recruited to this new position and will begin at LeoVegas during the spring. Mattias joins us most recently from a similar role and has solid experience in product development and keen industry knowledge. With this new position, the product and technology organisation will have a single leader, which will increase its effectiveness and cooperation within the Group.
Tech update
We have previously presented the upgrade of our technical front-end platform, which took place during the second quarter. This has improved our organic search capabilities and during the fourth quarter we saw an increase in organic traffic by more than 70% compared to the same period last year. We expect to see continued positive effects from this combined with our data-driven marketing.
The Rocket X managed UK brands encountered certain technical issues that impacted the site performance during part of the fourth quarter. The issues are now to a large extent solved which is confirmed by a higher revenue and customer activity in January compared to December.
Our technology organisation has been through an intensive period, and during the fourth quarter, three parallel platform adaptations were made to the locally regulated markets in Sweden, Germany and Spain – an impressive record for LeoVegas. We are now beginning to gradually free up resources for a renewed focus on product innovation, new brands and markets – areas that are expected to drive our growth going forward.
Financial targets and focus on growth with profitability
Following a year burdened by a number of external factors and large internal projects, we are now well prepared for the future with a renewed focus on growth. Our direction remains firm, with financial targets in absolute figures to reach EUR 600 m in revenue and EUR 100 m in EBITDA. However, we have decided to push back these targets one year, until 2021, as our adaptation to the increased regulatory requirements in the important UK market caused us to temporarily lose our tempo compared with the previous business plan.
It is also increasingly clear for us that the coming years will be decisive for who will be the long-term winners in our industry and who will not be able to cope with the increased complexity, compliance, technological development and higher tax burden. We are therefore currently in a very exciting period in the gaming industry, and we are well prepared.
As more markets become locally regulated – with more regulatory requirements and higher tax pressure – it is important to be a company that is both agile and of a size that enables economies of scale. We are convinced that this requires proprietary technology and a world-class user experience while at the same time being well invested in responsible gambling and compliance – and having a diversified operation both geographically and in terms of brands. Moreover, we will continuously evaluate our marketing and our organisational set-up, all in line with our focus on growth with increased profitability in an increasingly complex business environment.
We have also decided to conduct a strategic evaluation of our portfolio companies within LeoVentures, with the intention to further intensify focus within the Company on our end goal – to be the market-leading mobile casino operator globally. At the same time, we believe that the years ahead will offer a number of new growth opportunities within casino for operators with the strength and ability to act quickly, as smaller actors have a hard time adapting to the growing requirements and complexity.
Comments regarding Q1 2019
2019 has begun on a good note for LeoVegas, with Revenue of EUR 28.7 m (24.8) in January, representing growth of 16%. Underlying customer activity remains strong, with 42% growth in depositing customers compared to the same period last year.
We have now forged ahead through both an eventful and challenging year with several acquisitions, accolades, higher regulatory requirements, a number of major platform projects and a change in listing to the Stockholm Stock Exchange’s main market list. We at LeoVegas now look forward to 2019, where we have put casino front and centre and have our full focus on profitable growth.
Presentation of the report – today at 09:00 CET
To participate in the conference call, and thereby be able to ask questions, please call one of the following numbers: SE: +46 (0) 8 56 61 84 67, UK: +44 (0) 84 44 81 97 52, US: +1 64 67 41 31 67, Confirmation code: 9775259 or join at the web https://edge.media-server.com/m6/p/jtyut9im
This information is information that LeoVegas AB (publ) is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation 596/2014. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out below, at 08:00 CET on 12 February 2019.
About the LeoVegas mobile gaming group:
LeoVegas’ passion is “Leading the way into the mobile future”. LeoVegas is the premier GameTech company and is at the forefront of using state-of-the-art technology for mobile gaming. A large part of this success can be credited to an extreme product and technology focus coupled with effective and data-driven marketing. Technology development is conducted in Sweden, while operations are based in Malta. LeoVegas offers casino, live casino and sports betting, and operates two global and scalable brands – LeoVegas and Royal Panda – as well as a number of local brands in the UK. The company’s shares are listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. For more about LeoVegas, visit www.leovegasgroup.com.
Source: European Gaming Media
This is a Syndicated News piece. Photo credits or photo sources can be found on the source article: LeoVegas AB: Q4 report and financial targets pushed one year to 2021
A partnership between game developer Turbo Games and iGaming solution provider and aggregator Slotegrator began in November 2022 via the APIgrator game integration solution. Since then, the collaboration has been developing successfully — and now it’s time to analyze what made it successful.
Turbo Games has noticed how the new technologies spreading throughout the industry can work for the good of brand transparency and player loyalty: “We can already see how blockchain technology has made it possible to make betting checks more accessible to players. All you need is a blockchain-hash and a decoder service. We think we will continue to move in this direction. Many traditional online casinos do not offer the possibility to check the bet. Sooner or later we all have to come to this. Perhaps the development of artificial intelligence will help here, because we are already seeing its involvement in all spheres of human life.”
Turbo Games specializes in provably fair games. Provable fairness is a concept where players can verify their wins or losses using blockchain technology — the outcome of the game is dictated by a smart contract and is absolutely random, barring the possibility of any human involvement. Using cryptographic hashing algorithms, the gambling site and the player’s device both generate seeds (random strings of numbers). Players receive a key that allows them to check the results; if the results are the same as the game round they witnessed, it proves that there was no foul play.
According to statistics from Turbo Games, the audience for provably fair games is mostly between 18 and 25 years old. However, there are also players aged 35-40 who prefer traditional games but would like to try something new, and have turned their attention to provably fair games.
There are good odds that the technology of provably fair games will become more popular, if not even commonplace, because it gives players a feeling of transparency and proves that the business is trustworthy without the need to search through dozens of reviews. Whereas many innovations in iGaming simply add entertainment, provable fairness addresses security concerns and reassures players that they’re not being exploited, which is invaluable.
Provably fair games are beneficial for both players and online casinos. Vadim Potapenko, Head of Sales at Turbo Games, comments: “It often happens that the users are not satisfied with the result, because gambling is not only about big wins, but also possible losses. By allowing them to check the fairness of a bet, we make life easier for platforms and players. Of course, this allows us to communicate with partners and users that we work honestly and that’s why they should trust our games.”
Ayvar Gabidullin, Business Development Manager at Slotegrator, adds that “this type of game is now becoming more and more popular and has great potential for both players and game providers in the future. On the part of the player, the advantage is that the player can always be sure that his game is fair and he can independently check any of his bets. And for the game provider, this also simplifies the process of implementing casino games, since now it will not be necessary to obtain the appropriate certificates from independent laboratories before launching new games, they can immediately enter the market with these games and where anyone can check the result and make sure that that there is no cheating with players. Many game providers are starting to look towards this type of game. And as far as I see, many operators are starting to think about adding these games.”
What do players in 2023 need? The iGaming industry is all about reputation and trust. Players have a huge number of platforms to choose from, making them pickier and pickier. There’s an abundance of forums where players leave reviews, so if players view a brand as untrustworthy, there are plenty of places they can share their opinion. Provable fairness not only stops that from happening, it provides evidence to the contrary, giving players something else to talk about.
Slotegrator also recommends investing time and effort into localization and creating an effective and detailed marketing strategy — before trying provably fair technology players need to get to the platform, and there is no acquisition without marketing.
ABOUT SLOTEGRATOR
Since 2012, Slotegrator has been one of the iGaming industry’s leading software and business solution providers for online casino and sportsbook operators.
The company’s main focus is software development and support for online casino platforms, as well as the integration of game content and payment systems.
The company works with licensed game developers and offers a vast portfolio of casino content: slots, live casino games, poker, virtual sports, table games, lotteries, casual games, and data feeds for betting.
Slotegrator also provides consulting services in gambling license acquisition and business incorporation.
More information: https://slotegrator.pro/
ABOUT TURBO GAMES
Turbo Games — a provably fair games provider that belongs to Turbo Stars company — has an ambitious goal to establish widespread recognition throughout the iGaming world. Even though it is young, the company consists of professionals who have been working on the brand for over five years and are even planning to introduce a new brand for a wider audience soon.
Turbo Games also works in Europe, India, and South Africa, where the company sees the most potential and expects the same “hype” as in Brazil.
The portfolio of Turbo Games consists of 21 titles, including well-known games like Mines, Crash X, DoubleRoll, Hi-Lo, and Plinko. The studio releases a game every month. However, not all games are developed from scratch. Wicket Blast and Spin Strike, the last two releases, are based on cricket and the Indian Premier League. Crash X remains the most popular fast game in the Turbo Games portfolio, and the studio reports that crash games enjoy stable levels of popularity. Overall, the main focus of the brand is provably fair games.
More information: https://turbogames.io/
Looking to take your career to the next level in the games industry? Then, Nordic Game Talents is the place to be! Games Factory Talents has teamed up with Nordic Game to bring you Nordic Game Talents.
From Oct 27-29, the online and interactive event is dedicated to recruitment and career building in the creative & games industry within the Nordic region. The event empowers participants to be part of a bigger community and motivates them to explore new paths in achieving their career goals.
Hiring creative & games studios – Supercell, Funcom, Panzerdog, Tactile Games, Gamecan, Fingersoft, Dazzle Rocks, Redhill Games to name a few from the Nordic region will be participating in the event. These studios will share information on their latest projects, work culture and what it takes to be part of their team. The individual games associations from Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Estonia will share insights through live sessions on the booming games industry in their respective countries. Career development topics pertinent to job seekers like – How to have a successful first interview, Creative Portfolio reviews will also be discussed.
Experienced game industry professionals and individuals beginning their careers from around the world are welcome to join the event. One-to-one interviews with the hiring studios can be scheduled through the event platform. A great opportunity to get to know the studios and network with game professionals from around the world.
Participating in the event
As a job seeker attending Nordic Game Talents, take a few minutes to fill out a simple registration form. After filling the registration form you will receive a link to the online event platform – PINE, to join the event on 27th October. Participants joining Nordic Game Talents will also receive a free-of-charge pass to the Nordic Game Conference.
To view the complete agenda, please click here and to learn more about the event please visit Games Job Fair
About Games Factory Talents
A Helsinki-based talent attraction agency dedicated to the games & creative industry. Our services include direct recruitment, organizing game job fairs and managing a community of game industry professionals through our GameDev Talent Board.
To learn more about Games Factory Talents visit – Games Factory Talents
810 THE SPREAD
Cumulus Media Launches 810 THE SPREAD, the Bay Area’s First Sports Station Focused on Sports Betting
Cumulus Media (NASDAQ: CMLS) announces that it has launched the Bay Area’s first Sports radio station focused on sports betting, 810 THE SPREAD. The new station brings sports and sports betting news, information, and insights to the burgeoning and underserved sports betting audience in San Francisco. 810 THE SPREAD will deliver behind-the-book perspectives from experts in a highly entertaining and engaging format. 810 THE SPREAD goes live today on the legendary 810am frequency that has been the 80-year home of historic Talk Radio KGO-AM. Cumulus San Francisco also launched the station’s new website at www.810thespread.com. Kevin Graham, Program Director of Cumulus’ sister sports stations KNBR 680AM/104.5FM and 1050 KTCT, adds Program Director duties for 810 THE SPREAD.
Larry Blumhagen, Vice President/Market Manager, Cumulus San Francisco, said: “810 THE SPREAD joins our sports brands KNBR 680AM/104.5FM and 1050 KTCT for a trifecta of dynamic sports content across four signals and streaming everywhere. We are excited about this new chapter and look forward to serving the Bay Area’s passionate sports fans in an incomparable way.”
Blumhagen added: “This is a bittersweet day for us, as it’s hard to say goodbye to the legendary KGO, which has been a part of listeners’ lives for so many years. We want to thank all the people who have been a part of KGO’s historic run these many years – and the listeners who loyally tuned in to the station. Times change, and we must change with them.”
Kevin Graham, Program Director, 810 THE SPREAD, said: “810 THE SPREAD will be the Bay Area’s best bet for sports fans and sports betting enthusiasts, and we are pleased to introduce sports-betting radio to our community. The station will feature a lineup of expert personalities that deliver unique sports talk and sports betting insights that entertain, inform, and engage, along with Cal Football and Basketball as well as select professional and college sports play-by-play events. While 810 THE SPREAD will feature specific gambling information, we believe our entertaining presentation will make it a favorite for all Bay area sports fans and a perfect complement to the legendary KNBR and KTCT. With its addition, it truly shows Cumulus’ commitment to the Bay area as ‘The Sports Leader’!”
The weekday programming lineup for 810 THE SPREAD includes:
6am-9am – Bet QL Daily – The must-consume show for sports fans and betting fans alike. Hosted by Joe Ostrowski, Joe Giglio, and Erin Hawksworth.
9am-12pm – Jim Rome - Aggressive, informed sports opinions, rapid-fire dialogue, and plenty of sports smack. As one of the most prolific sports talk hosts in America, Rome draws massive tune-in with legions of fans known as clones, who live for Rome’s take on the day’s largest issues in sports.
12pm-4pm – You Better You Bet – Nick Kostos and Ken Barkley have you covered for the best bets on the biggest matchups, the latest line movement and updates in the futures market. We’ll have up-to-the-minute coverage of backdoor covers and bad beats, and the cheers and tears that come with them. It’s sports betting conversation like you’ve never heard before.
4pm-8pm – Bet MGM Tonight – Live sports betting updates for all the night’s games as they happen – plus live “look-ins” for Major League Baseball games in progress. Get the latest scores, sides, totals, props, parlays, futures, and much more with hosts Quinton Mayo, Trysta Krick, and Ryan Horvat.
8pm-12 Midnight – CBS Sports Radio
BetQL Network programming is provided by Cumulus Media’s Westwood One through a partnership with Audacy.
For more information or to stream 810 THE SPREAD, visit: http://www.810thespread.com.
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