SAZKA Group a.s.  announces its financial results for the three months to 30 September 2020 and provides an update on recent developments and current trading.

Q3 2020 Financial highlights

• Consolidated gross gaming revenue increased by 66% year-on-year to €769 million. Excluding CASAG¹, GGR increased by 1% year-on-year.
• Consolidated Operating EBITDA² increased by 37% year-on-year to €197 million. Excluding CASAG, Operating EBITDA increased by 6%.
• Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA, which excludes certain one-off items, increased by 32% year-on-year to €207 million.
• Consolidated profit after tax decreased by 33% year-on-year to €48 million, impacted by a €54 million restructuring provision at CASAG. Excluding CASAG, profit after tax increased by 3% year-on-year.

9M 2020 Financial highlights

• Consolidated gross gaming revenue increased by 4% year-on-year to €1,421 million. Excluding CASAG, GGR decreased by 18% year-on-year due to the impact of COVID in the second quarter.
• Consolidated Operating EBITDA decreased by 15% year-on-year to €364 million. Excluding CASAG, Operating EBITDA decreased by 26% year-on-year.
• Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA, which excludes certain one-off items, also decreased by 15% year-on-year to €375 million.
• Consolidated profit after tax from continuing operations decreased by 58% year-on-year to €90 million. Excluding CASAG, profit after tax decreased by 50%.

Pro-rata LTM Q3 2020 highlights³

• Pro-rata LTM Adjusted EBITDA was €379 million.
• Pro-rata net debt / Adjusted EBITDA was 3.2x and Pro-rata priority net debt / Adjusted EBITDA was 0.5x at 30 September 2020.

Key strategic initiatives

• In July, the Supervisory Board of CASAG approved a plan to optimise the cost structure of the casino business in Austria.  This plan is underway and expected to achieve c.€45 million of annual cost savings by FY22.
• In July and November, OPAP acquired additional interests in Stoiximan Group’s Greek and Cypriot business (“SMGC”), the leading online gaming business in Greece. OPAP now holds an 84.5% interest in SMGC.
• In November, KKCG and SAZKA Group announced that funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, one of the world’s leading investors in gaming, will invest €500 million in a newly formed holding company which will become the owner of SAZKA Group at a valuation of €4.2 billion.

Trading update

• Restrictions which had impacted some of our land-based businesses (in particular, in Greece, Italy and our casinos in Austria and internationally) in H1 were lifted at the end of Q2, and sales of these businesses recovered well in Q3.
• Our land-based businesses in the Czech Republic and Austria, which were not materially impacted by restrictions in H1, have continued to perform well.
• Online sales, which increased significantly during the period most impacted by COVID, have generally remained at these higher levels.
• Since late October/early November, there has been a second wave of COVID restrictions, having some impact on our businesses.
• The vast majority of the land-based POS of our businesses in the Czech Republic, Austria and Italy remain open and continue to sell our products.
• The majority of the POS in these locations are located in shops and other outlets which provide essential products and services which therefore remain open. These include tobacconists, supermarkets and petrol stations.
• Our land-based business in Greece and Cyprus as well as our casinos have been more affected by the current lockdown and are currently closed.