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Better Collective reports organic revenue growth of 19% in Q1

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Interim report January 1 – March 31, 2021

Highlights first quarter 2021

  • Q1 revenue grew by 86% to 38,836 tEUR (Q1 2020: 20,921 tEUR). Organic revenue growth was 19%. The revenue split was 61% from Publishing and 39% from Paid Media.
  • Q1 EBITDA before special items increased 46% to 13,193 tEUR (Q1 2020: 9,045 tEUR). The EBITDA-margin before special items was 34%. EBITDA-margin was 51% in Publishing and 7% in Paid Media. The margin in the Paid Media segment was significantly impacted by the switch from pure CPA to hybrid revenue models at a cost of approx. 2 mEUR. Excluding these impacts, the margin would have been 19%.
  • Cash Flow from operations before special items was 16,102 tEUR (Q1 2020: 9,451 tEUR), an increase of 70%. The cash conversion was 121% due to an improvement of debtors and other short debt. End of Q1, capital reserves stood at 50.1 mEUR including cash of 34.8 mEUR and unused bank credit facilities of 15.1 mEUR.
  • New Depositing Customers (NDCs) was around 180.000 in the quarter (increase of 54%) and is at an all time high.
  • Better Collective has increased its ownership to 90% of the shares in Mindway AI that specialises in software solutions based on artificial intelligence and neuroscience for identifying, preventing and intervening in at-risk and problem gambling.
  • Better Collective has strengthened its position in the Swedish sports betting market by acquiring online sports betting media platform, Rekatochklart.com for 3.8 mEUR.

Significant events after the closure of the period

  • April revenue reached a record 13.1 mEUR, a growth of 185% vs. 2020, of which 51% was organic growth. Organic growth in the Publishing segment was 87% against a weak comparison due to the significant effect on April 2020 by the halt in sports during the COVID lockdown. In the Paid Media segment, organic growth was 14% against a strong comparison, as the halt in sports meant an increase in casino (predominant in the acquired Atemi Group)
  • On May 3, 2021, Better Collective signed an agreement to acquire 100% of the shares in The Action Network, Inc. for 240 mUSD (198 mEUR) on a cash and debt free basis. With the acquisition of Action Network, Better Collective gains clear market leadership within sports betting media in the US and now expects to increase its revenues in the US to more than 100 mUSD by 2022.
  • In April, a payment of 1.2 mEUR in cash, and 0.9 mEUR in shares were made to complete the 2020 earn-out payment relating to the acquisition of HLTV.
  • Following the AGM on April 26, 2021, Therese Hillman was elected to the Board of Directors. Therese is a Swedish national born in 1980. She is the current CEO of NOD, and was until recently Group CEO of NetEnt, a premium game supplier to online casino operators and listed on Nasdaq Stockholm.

Financial targets 2021
The Board of Directors have decided on targets for the financial year 2021 as announced in the full year report. Following the acquisition of The Action Network and contingent on the closing of the transaction in Q2, 2021, the financial targets for 2021 are updated: Total group revenue is now expected to exceed 180 mEUR (previously more than 160 mEUR). Operational profit is now expected to exceed 55 mEUR (previously more than 50 mEUR). Total group organic growth is now expected to exceed 25% (previously more than 20%). See page 10 of the report for more detail.

Jesper Søgaard, Co-founder & CEO of Better Collective, commented: “Q1 was another strong quarter for us with significant revenue growth and an increase in the number of New Depositing Customers of more than 50%. We have continued to strengthen our global market position with the addition of Swedish sports betting media platform, Rekatochklart, and most recently, US sports betting media market leader, Action Network, while also increasing our ownership of Mindway AI to 90% to further expand our initiatives within responsible gambling. We are very pleased with these accomplishments.

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Stake unveils new Stake Engine: Build. Launch. Earn. The Engine Is Yours

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Stake, the world’s largest online casino, today announced the launch of Stake Engine — a next-generation Remote Gaming Server (RGS) built to give developers the tools, infrastructure, and audience they need to succeed on their terms.

Backed by the technology behind 300 billion bets and a global community of over 20 million players, Stake Engine offers an instant path to revenue with full end-to-end game development tools and the most developer-friendly commercial model in iGaming: 10% GGR (Gross Gaming Revenue), paid monthly.

Whether you’re an indie creator or a full-scale studio, Stake Engine offers everything you need to build, deploy, and grow games on your terms.

Studios are already winning.
Over the past 12 months, games built on Stake Engine have generated $3.31 billion in turnover. In the most recent quarter, three titles ranked among Stake’s top 50 games by total bets: Massive Studio’s Jawsome at #17, Serpentina at #23, and Twist’s Samurai Dogs Unleashed at #25.

Who can build?
Any developer. From math devs and indie studios to full-stack teams, if you can design and deliver engaging games, you’re welcome here.

What can you build?
Anything your imagination allows. Slots, wheel mechanics, card-based logic, original IP, Stake Engine has no templates, no restrictions, and no gatekeeping. If it plays well and meets our standards, you can build it, launch it, and own it.

Why build on Stake Engine?
Stake Engine gives developers everything they need to launch faster, without the barriers that slow down traditional game development.

No need to build your own infrastructure, negotiate publisher deals, or spend months integrating with legacy Remote Gaming Servers (RGS). With Stake Engine, you can go from idea to live game in days.

Stake handles the infrastructure, distribution, and visibility, so you can focus on what matters: building great games. There’s no pitching, no storefront politics, and no delays.

Behind the scenes, Stake Engine powers everything with a full front-end SDK, integrated math engine, balancing toolkit, and real-time analytics dashboard — putting real performance data at your fingertips.

And once your game goes live, you get paid monthly, with 10% GGR royalties and zero lockups.

Proven at Scale

  • Over 300 billion bets placed on Stake

  • 10 billion monthly wagers processed

  • Stake is behind 4% of global Bitcoin transactions
    Capable of handling 1 million+ bets per second

    Stake Engine: Key Features

  • Stake Engine delivers unmatched scale and performance, supporting over 1 million bets per second and powered by the same infrastructure behind the world’s most popular crypto casino.

  • It offers a full end-to-end developer stack, including a front-end framework, integrated math engine, and balancing toolkit — everything needed to build rich, interactive games quickly and at scale.

  • Developers have complete creative freedom with no templates or restrictions. Build any game, upload it, and launch directly to Stake’s global audience.

  • Instant deployment tools allow developers to upload, test, and go live in minutes, with full versioning and real-time testing capabilities.

  • Stake Engine provides transparent analytics, offering real-time insights into game performance across players, markets, and engagement cohorts.

  • It features an industry-leading commercial model with 10% GGR perpetual royalties — the most aggressive terms in gaming, paid monthly without delays or hidden fees.

  • Stake Engine is built by developers, for developers. Created by the engineers behind some of iGaming’s top studios, it is focused on speed, control, and fixing everything broken about legacy game launch processes.

  • Stake also handles all positioning, marketing, and growth — giving developers full visibility and freeing them to focus purely on building great games.

Brais Pena, Chief Strategy Officer at Easygo, the technology powerhouse behind Stake, said: “Stake Engine is built for creators, with speed, freedom, and scale baked in.”

“Stake Engine is more than just infrastructure, it’s a launchpad for the next generation of iGaming creators. We’ve taken everything we’ve learned building the world’s most popular online casino and packaged it into a platform that removes barriers, unlocks creativity, and delivers scale from day one.”

“Stake Engine is what happens when the biggest operator in iGaming builds for the builders. It’s not just a platform. It’s our commitment to the next generation of game creators.”

The post Stake unveils new Stake Engine: Build. Launch. Earn. The Engine Is Yours appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Ameristar Casino Hotel Council Bluffs

PENN Entertainment Announces Plans for New Land-Based Hollywood Casino to Replace Riverboat Gaming Operations in Council Bluffs, Iowa

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PENN Entertainment Inc. announced plans for an expected $180–$200 million project to relocate its Ameristar Casino Hotel Council Bluffs (Ameristar) riverboat casino operations to a new, state-of-the-art land-based property to be rebranded as Hollywood Casino Council Bluffs (Hollywood Council Bluffs). The proposal is approved by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission in conjunction with a 15-year extension of Ameristar’s partnership with the nonprofit Qualified Sponsoring Organization (QSO) Iowa West Racing Association. All commercial operators in Iowa are required to have an operating agreement with a QSO licensed to conduct gaming operations.

Under the proposed plan, the new Hollywood Council Bluffs is expected to include roughly 125,000 square feet of new development with approximately 58,000 square feet of gaming space. The new facility will complement the existing ESPN BET sportsbook, 160-room hotel and dining options in the landside portion of the current infrastructure. The existing riverboat, which presently offers gaming spread out over three levels, will be vacated upon opening of the new property.

“We are pleased to add another landside relocation to our pipeline of development projects. This project will enhance the quality and efficiency of our Council Bluffs location and significantly improve the property’s competitive positioning in the greater Omaha market. PENN’s diversified portfolio of casino properties is core to our omni-channel approach to entertainment, which combines our best-in-class retail operations and a database of more than 32 million PENN Play members with our robust interactive and media footprint. We thank the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission for their approval today and are grateful for the continued collaboration with our partners at the Iowa West Racing Association,” said Todd George, Executive Vice President of Operations for PENN.

“We are thrilled with the exciting development plans for the new Hollywood Casino Council Bluffs. For nearly thirty years, the Ameristar riverboat has been providing not only dining and entertainment, but thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in support of our community. PENN’s commitment to reinvesting in Council Bluffs is laudable and we are grateful for our ongoing partnership,” said Brenda Mainwaring, President & CEO of the Iowa West Racing Association.

Construction of the new facility is expected to take approximately 18-24 months following the design and permitting approval process. The Company is entitled to obtain financing for the project from Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc. (GLPI) of up to $150 million at a 7.10% cap rate, which may be structured at PENN’s option as either rent or a 5-year term loan that is pre-payable at any time without penalty.

The post PENN Entertainment Announces Plans for New Land-Based Hollywood Casino to Replace Riverboat Gaming Operations in Council Bluffs, Iowa appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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PrizePicks Teams Up with San Francisco Giants as Official DFS Partner

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PrizePicks, the largest daily fantasy sports operator in North America, announced that it has been named the Official Daily Fantasy Partner of the San Francisco Giants. The new partnership strengthens the DFS leader’s presence in professional baseball and features digital and in-park activations at Oracle Park.

“We are thrilled to team up with a legendary organization like the San Francisco Giants. PrizePicks is committed to bringing unique experiences to our players around the country and is excited to strengthen our connection with baseball fans in San Francisco and across the United States,” said Mike Quigley, Chief Marketing Officer at PrizePicks.

As part of the multi-year partnership, PrizePicks branding will be showcased prominently throughout Oracle Park with rotating signage behind home plate and LED signage on each baseline. PrizePicks logos will be featured across the K-Counter in right field, creating an interactive experience for fans in the ballpark. Fans seated on top of the right field wall near the strikeout counter will have the opportunity to flip over the PrizePicks branded signs, revealing a “K” for each strikeout earned by a Giants pitcher.

When Giants pitchers combine for 12 strikeouts in a home game, fans can participate in a text-to-enter promotion with the chance to win a $12,000 free PrizePicks lineup and tickets to a future Giants game at Oracle Park.

“The Giants are always looking for innovative ways to enhance the fan experience. Partnering with PrizePicks provides our fans with new ways to engage with us and deepen their connection to both the Giants and baseball,” said Jason Pearl, Chief Revenue Officer at the San Francisco Giants.

The post PrizePicks Teams Up with San Francisco Giants as Official DFS Partner appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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