Strategy – Page 9 – Bookielink

January 19, 2023

Kambi to pursue efficiencies as it aims for €150m profit goal

Kambi expects to reduce the headcount of its trading department by 2027 as it pivots to an algorithm-led approach in order to hit an ambitious long-term operating profit target.

Kambi this morning revealed a €150m (£130.9m/$161.9m) earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) target for 2027 and, in a capital markets day, executives outlined how the business intends to reach that figure.

The business also revealed that it expected revenue in 2027 to be between two and three times the size of its 2022 revenue. As the relative growth in EBIT would be larger than the relative growth in revenue, this suggested that Kambi hopes to increase its profit margins as it expands.

Now, the supplier has provided more detail of this, with a pivot towards more algorithmic trading helping to drive the projected increase in efficiency.

Kambi embracing algorithmic trading

Kambi deputy chief executive Erik Lögdberg described this pivot as “third-generation sports betting”. He said that currently, most spo..

January 19, 2023

Kambi to pursue efficiencies as it aims for €150m profit goal

Kambi expects to pursue a more personnel-light strategy within its trading department by 2027 as it pivots to an algorithm-led approach in order to hit an ambitious long-term operating profit target.

Now, the supplier has provided more detail of this, with a pivot towards more algorithmic trading helping to drive the projected increase in efficiency.

Kambi embracing algorithmic trading

Kambi deputy chief executive Erik Lögdberg described this pivot as “third-generation sports betting”. He said th..

January 12, 2023

Entain completes €450m BetCity acquisition

Entain has completed the €450m (£398.1m/$484.2m) acquisition of Dutch operator BetCity from Sports Entertainment Media.

The deal grants Entain access to the Dutch regulated market, where BetCity was one of the initial 10 licensees and quickly became a market leader after the market launched on 1 October 2021, holding a 20% market share in Q4 of 2021.

Entain’s brands had not been able to launch in the Nertherlands as part of the initial batch of licensees due to the country’s “cooling-off” period for operators that accepted Dutch customers before the market opened.

While this period ended last year, and Entain had initially expected its legacy brands to receive licences in 2022, this has not yet happened.

“We are pleased to have completed the acquisition of BetCity,” Entain chief executive Jette Nygaar-Andersen said. “The combination of BetCity’s local expertise and strong brand, alongside Entain’s global scale and market-leading platform provides customers with an enriched and broa..

January 11, 2023

Number of players on Malta-licensed sites hits record high in H1 2022

The number of players gambling with Malta-licensed operators hit a new high in the first half of 2022, after declines in the previous year.

The number of active player accounts with Malta-licensed operators rose by 8.7% year-on-year after a decline in 2021, to 19.3 million. This exceeded the previous high of 19.0 million recorded in the last six months of 2020.

The rise was mostly due to a record 8.9 million new accounts being created.

Much of the rise was due to higher numbers of younger players, with the portion of players aged between 18 and 24 rising to almost 25% of the total player base. In addition, the Malta gaming sector was found to have contributed €573m in gross value added for the half-year, or 8.0% of the Maltese economy. The gross value added total was up 12.4% from the first half of 2021.

The sector also employed 10,861 people as of June 2022, almost 600 more than a year earlier.

“The resilience of the Malta gaming industry during these trying times is largely att..

January 6, 2023

How much do sportsbooks spend on marketing and will it lead them to profit?

Russell Karp of DataArt explores how leading US sportsbooks spend their marketing dollars, examines their strategy and results and looks for a path to profitability.

Fall and winter are intensely hot seasons for sports betting with NFL, NBA, college football and basketball, NHL and MLB post-season action. So it’s no surprise that the last three months of the year became the most expensive in terms of advertising.

BIA Advisory Services forecasted that up to $1.8bn would be spent in 2022 to promote gambling products online, with a sizeable chunk going towards sports betting. In the first week of the year alone, ad spending by the four biggest sportsbooks rocketed to a lofty $24m.

But how do these heavy marketing investments impact the sports betting business? And are sportsbooks getting a return on their investment?

Where does the money go?

To acquire as many users as possible, as early as possible, sportsbooks invest heavily in marketing. A larger share of voice, paired with attra..

January 6, 2023

Bet365 revenue ticks up, but marketing costs lead to 88% profit decline

Bet365’s revenue ticked slightly up in 2021-22 as gaming growth offset a sports betting decline, but increased customer acquisition costs in new markets led to an almost 90% drop in profit.

Bet365 reported that revenue from sports and gaming for the year ended 27 March 2022 was up by 2.9% year-on-year to £2.85bn.

The increase was mostly due to the success of its gaming operations. Sports gaming revenue was down by 2% from 2020-21, while gaming revenue was up by 25%.

This would suggest sports betting revenue for 2021-22 of around £2.30bn, while gaming revenue would fall around £546m.

Bet365 revenue was up by 2.9% year-on-year to £2.85bn.

The operator said that the decline in sports betting revenue was margin-based, as the total amount that was wagered increased and the number of active customers was up by 48%.

Regulus Partners noted that Bet365’s margins in 2020-21 were “unusually high”, and that in 2021-22 they came back to more typical levels. It said that on an underlying bas..

January 3, 2023

PointsBet in talks to sell Australia arm to News Corp venture

PointsBet is in discussions to sell its Australian arm to NTD Limited, the News Corp-led business behind Australia’s Betr brand.

PointsBet revealed last week – following a report in The Australian – that it was in discussions to sell its Australian business to NTD Pty Limited.

NTD is a venture set up this year involving media conglomerate News Corp, investment fund Tekkorp Capital and long-time industry executive Matt Tripp and operates the Australia-facing Betr brand. Another operator named Betr launched in the US this year, but the two are unrelated.

PointsBet said “any potential transaction will be assessed in the context of PointsBet’s global strategy and opportunities”.

Murdoch family-owned News Corp are among the parties involved in Ntd Pty Limited

“Discussions between PointsBet and NTD are incomplete and preliminary in nature,” it said. “There is no certainty that these discussions will result in any binding transaction.

“PointsBet will keep the market updated in accordan..

December 21, 2022

Industry insiders say New York Times series paints unfair picture

State lawmakers and stakeholders in the gaming industry have taken aim at the New York Times for its critical reporting on the expansion of US sports betting just as the industry met in Las Vegas to discuss best practices related to responsible and problem gaming. By Buck Wargo.

In late November, the New York Times, in a year-long investigation, outlined how the industry lobbied state officials with gifts and contributed millions in campaign donations to spur expansion after the repeal of PASPA in 2018.

The series depicted how ads on television and websites for making bets had become unavoidable and outlined the consequences to public health, taxpayers and the sports world.

The Times wrote that lawmakers gave out tax exemptions, which ultimately subsidised operators’ luring of patrons with free bets and other promotions, and found promises of tax revenue haven’t materialised.

When it comes to responsible gaming, the New York Times said the industry has been “creative in devising wa..

November 29, 2022

Luckbox owner to acquire Asia-facing B2B platform

Luckbox owner Real Luck Group has signed a letter of intent to acquire an unnamed igaming platform targeting the Asia-Pacific region.

Real Luck Group will acquire 100% of the shares in the Asia-facing business, which it says will give it access to more than 6,000 games from 50 game providers.

Real Luck Group chief executive Thomas Rosander said that the business had long aimed to add a B2B element to its portfolio, but that through this deal it is set to accomplish this sooner than it had expected.

“Adding B2B to our proprietary platform has always been a significant part of the Luckbox strategy, and this important acquisition means we will complete this objective almost a year in advance of our projections,” he said. “It also extends our opportunities into APAC, a significant region that we currently do not have a presence in and perhaps the largest esports market globally.

Real Luck Group CEO Thomas Rosander

“This transaction ultimately builds our business’ upside by providing ..

November 23, 2022

Lahcene Merzoug on PressEnter’s management buyout

Fresh from announcing a management buyout, PressEnter CEO Lahcene Merzoug talks to iGB about the new leadership's strategy and future plans.

So, the cat is out the bag; PressEnter Group will be under new (or should we say old?) management.

There are many questions that remain: Will the new chairman stay the course or head to uncharted waters? What form will the shape of the business’ future growth take? And what’s the plan with the company’s brands?

The business formerly known as Betpoint has reinvented itself before, though only the new owners know what the plan is now. Current CEO and future executive chair Lahcene Merzoug explains in his own words.

What was the rationale behind the management buyout, and what important factors led the executive team to decide to go down this route?

The management team has grown the business into what it is today, so we could clearly see the potential in the company and its operations. When the opportunity to buy PressEnter Group arose, ..

November 22, 2022

PressEnter announces management buyout

The senior team at PressEnter Group, the igaming operator formerly known as BetPoint, is to take charge of the business through a management buyout.

Terms for the buyout have been agreed with PressEnter’s existing investors.

Chief executive Lahcene Merzoug and a team of senior executives will then take control, with Merzoug named the operator’s executive chairman once the deal completes.

Management said PressEnter, who operate online casino brands such as 21.com, JustSpin, NeonVegas Casino, NitroCasino, UltraCasino and RapidCasino, in addition to the XLBet sportsbook, offers “significant growth potential”.

New chapter for PressEnter

“The management team sees this as a new chapter for the business and will be reviewing existing strategies and processes to maximise new opportunities, grow the business and focus on the company’s core strengths,” PressEnter said.

Lahcene Merzoug will become executive chair of PressEnter following the buyout

“The management team has worked hard fo..

November 18, 2022

What will it take to create a US challenger that’s actually viable?

iGB op-ed: Following MaximBet’s exit from the US sports betting market, Daniel O’Boyle asks what it will take for a lower-tier US brand to succeed.

This week’s column comes to you as I prepare to board a flight for a week off in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia, so what better to focus on than the idea of retreating from costly US battles?

Maximbet became the latest US operation to shut down, hot on the heels of the Fubo Sportsbook. If it wasn’t clear already, it’s fair to say now that it’s tough for second-tier and below operators to make much money, and other exits are likely coming soon.

In August, I wrote that the podium of top US sports betting operators had effectively been set, with no path for challengers to compete with the likes of FanDuel, DraftKings and BetMGM.

The chances of anyone coming close to FanDuel’s market share disappeared a long time ago

Recent events have only reinforced that there simply isn’t a path into the top tier for the also-rans. So the question..

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Tag: Strategy