Aspire Global’S Interim Report For The Third Quarter 2018 – Consistent Strong Organic Growth
THIRD QUARTER (JULY-SEP 2018)
• Revenues increased by 48% to €28.6 million (19.3)
• B2B Revenues increased by 50.5% to €15.2 million (10.1)
• EBITDA increased by 48% to €6.2 million (4.2)
• EBITDA margin amounted to 21.6% (21.6%)
• EBIT increased to €5.7 million (3.9)
• Earnings after tax from continued operations increased to €4.8 million (3.4)
• Earnings per share after tax from continued operations increased to €0.11 (0.08)
• First time depositors (FTDs) increased by 51% to 96.6 thousand (63.9)
INTERIM PERIOD (JAN-SEP 2018)
• Revenues increased by 36% to €71.7 million (52.8)
• B2B Revenues increased by 39% to €37.3 million (26.8)
• EBITDA increased by 40% to €14.6 million (10.4)
• EBITDA margin increased to 20.4% (19.8%)
• EBIT increased to €13.3 million (9.6)
• Earnings after tax from continued operations increased to €11.6 million (8.5)
• Earnings per share after tax from continued operations increased to €0.26 (0.20)
• First time depositors (FTDs) increased by 39% to 246.7 thousand (177.7)
SIGNIFICANT EVENTS DURING AND AFTER THE THIRD QUARTER
• On August 7th 2018, Aspire Global submitted the application for a Swedish gaming license. The new Swedish gaming regulation enters into force on January 1st, 2019.
• On October 25th 2018, BetRegal, dedicated sports operator, migrated to Aspire Global platform from another platform – a strategically important event as it confirms the competitive
advantage for Aspire Global’s sports solution.
• On October 22nd 2018, Aspire Global launched its bingo vertical in addition to casino and sports. The new vertical was initially launched together with a Nordic operator. We are
broadening our offering through additional fields within iGaming, in line with Aspire Global’s long-term growth plan.
KEY FIGURES | |||||||||
€ million | THIRD QUARTER | INTERIM PERIOD | FULL YEAR | ||||||
2018 | 2017 | 2018 | 2017 | 2017 | |||||
Revenues | 28.6 | 19.3 | 71.7 | 52.8 | 71.9 | ||||
EBITDA | 6.2 | 4.2 | 14.6 | 10.4 | 14.3 | ||||
EBITDA, % | 21.6 | 21.6 | 20.4 | 19.8 | 19.9 | ||||
EBIT | 5.7 | 3.9 | 13.3 | 9.6 | 13.0 | ||||
EBIT, % | 19.9 | 19.9 | 18.5 | 18.1 | 18.1 | ||||
Earnings per share*, € | 0.11 | 0.08 | 0.26 | 0.20 | 0.23 | ||||
Company hold, % | 52.4 | 53.6 | 53.2 | 52.4 | 52.7 | ||||
FTDs (K) | 96.6 | 63.9 | 246.7 | 177.7 | 246.1 | ||||
* From continued operations |
Aspire Global developed strongly during the third quarter, as we have been doing consistently during the past year as a result of our growth strategy. We see that revenues continue to reach record levels, but more importantly – profitability keeps up with the high pace. A more streamlined platform has resulted in stronger partnerships, a broader offering has attracted new audiences, both partners and players, while a focus on regulated markets has enabled exciting business opportunities, increased competitive advantages and a sustainable growth. With regulations come stricter requirements for all market players when it comes to managing responsible and sustainable operations, which benefit from long-term solutions, good customer relations and equal competition. Going forward, we continue to pursue strong growth, both organically - with consistent focus on improving our offering, strengthening our partnerships and seizing opportunities in regulated markets - as well as through acquisitions.
WORD FROM THE CEO
I am proud to present yet another quarter of record numbers, where revenues increased by 48% to €28.6 million with an EBITDA growing proportionally to €6.2 million. During the third quarter, business proceeded with strong performance from many of our partners. In parallel we put intense efforts into finalizing yet another new vertical (Bingo) and completing a strategically important migration (Bet Regal) – both of which were launched after the end of the third quarter, in October.
IMPROVING OUR OFFERING
We continue to broaden the offering both in terms of quality and width. During the third quarter, we launched more than 60 new game titles, one of which (piñata) was developed in-house. We also initiated a number of actions to evaluate and improve our services within responsible gaming. Sports continued to gain momentum after the World Cup and the migration of sports operator BetRegal to Aspire Global’s platform was successfully completed in October. BetRegal was the first dedicated sports operator to migrate to Aspire Global from a competing platform – a strategically important event as it confirms the competitive advantage for Aspire Global’s sports solution. Moreover, a new bingo vertical was launched on the company platform in addition to casino and sports, expanding operations into yet another field within iGaming as of the fourth quarter.
SEIZING OPPORTUNITIES IN REGULATED MARKETS
We maintain our focus on regulated or soon-to-be regulated markets. In line with this strategy, Aspire Global submitted an application for a Swedish gaming license at the beginning of August, aiming for our seventh regulated market. We see great opportunities for a company with our profile to gain market shares in the changing landscape. Aspire Global has a broad European presence and the current exposure to the Swedish market is minor and the overall affect from the Swedish gaming duties will be marginal from our starting point.
FOCUS FORWARD
Aspire Global is expecting to reach mid-term financial targets organically already in 2019 as revenues are approaching the €120 million set out for 2020. Financial targets will be amended by the board and announced shortly. As for the fourth quarter, we focus on launching 2-4 signed brands in order to have a good start for 2019, extending the sports offering to additional partners. We also continue our M&A-efforts, hoping to realize more opportunities.
Tsachi Maimon, CEO Aspire Global.
OR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Tsachi Maimon, CEO, Tel: +356-79777898 or email: tsachi@aspireglobal.com
Motti Gil, CFO, Tel: +972-73 372 3154 or email: mottigi@aspireglobal.com
ABOUT THIS INFORMATION
Aspire global discloses the information provided herein pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation
(MAR) and the Securities markets Act. The information was submitted for publication by the contact persons above at 08:15 am (CET) on November 8th 2018.
This document is the English original. In the event of any discrepancy between the original English document and the Swedish translation, the English original shall prevail.
TELECONFERENCE
Today, on November 8th 2018, at 10:00 (CET), the company CEO, Tsachi Maimon, and CFO, Motti Gil, will be presenting the report and answering questions at a teleconference (in English), which will be webcasted live through the following link: https://financialhearings.com/event/10984. The meeting, including the Q&A-session, is also available by calling one of the telephone numbers below. The complete interim report is available at http://www.aspireglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/AGQ318-final.pdf and the presentation material can be found on the company website.
Sweden: +46 8 5664 26 62
UK: +44 20 3008 9808
US: +1 855 753 22 35
ABOUT ASPIRE GLOBAL
Founded in 2005, Aspire Global offers a comprehensive iGaming solution for operators and white labels, including a complete suite of services for casino and sportsbook, multilingual CRM, payments and risk control, support call center, VIP management, acquisition optimization and a robust, market-leading platform. Aspire Global also holds licenses in regulated markets including the UK, Denmark, Belgium, Italy and Malta. Aspire Global is listed on NASDAQ First North Premier under ASPIRE. Certified Advisor: FNCA Sweden AB