DGAP-News: mybet Holding SE / Key word(s): Preliminary Results
mybet Holding SE: operating turnaround successfully launched in 2014
financial year
31.03.2015 / 09:01
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mybet Holding SE: operating turnaround successfully launched in 2014
financial year
- Revenue of EUR 70.4 million around 10 percent up on adjusted prior-year
level
- 20.9 percent growth in Sports Betting
- Clear improvement in profitability in 2014: EBIT of EUR 0.6 million
approximately EUR 11.9 million up on 2013
- Continuing emphasis on repositioning in 2015 financial year
- At earnings level, significant burden of up to EUR 2 million in 2015
from introduction of sales tax on certain products
Kiel, March 31, 2015 - mybet Holding SE (Deutsche Börse Prime Standard,
ISIN DE000A0JRU67) today publishes provisional, unaudited figures for the
2014 financial year. Due to unforeseen organisational bottlenecks,
publication of the full, audited Annual Report is now anticipated for the
start of April.
Within the context of the turnaround initiated in the 2014 financial year,
the business operations of the mybet Group developed positively. Both the
revenue forecast and the EBIT forecast for the full year upgraded at the
end of October 2014 were achieved. In addition the company identified
further opportunities and launched measures to provide a lasting boost to
the future business performance, too.
2014 financial year
mybet achieved an increase in revenue of 5.1 percent year on year to EUR
70.4 million in the 2014 financial year (previous year: EUR 67.0 million).
Key factors behind the revenue growth were the acquisition of new customers
in the Sports Betting segment and growth in online business for the Horse
Betting segment. This meant that by focusing on core business, mybet was
able to more than compensate for the loss of revenue contributions from the
deconsolidation of the Spanish subsidiary DIGIDIS S.L. and the exit from
lottery operations. After adjustment for the lottery revenue from the
deconsolidated DIGIDIS S.L., growth was even more marked: measured against
the adjusted revenue for 2013 of EUR 63.8 million, revenue increased by
10.4 percent in the 2014 financial year. Profitability, too, improved
substantially. For business operations, mybet achieved positive earnings
before interest and taxes (EBIT) of EUR 0.6 million (previous year: EUR
-11.3 million).
Sven Ivo Brinck, CEO of mybet Holding SE, commented: "We increased both our
revenue and earnings as planned in 2014. It was made possible by our being
able to capitalise fully on the FIFA World Cup in summer 2014, in
conjunction with optimised system stability. We also introduced a large
number of new products and features, such as our loyalty card, betting
terminals and new, improved mobile applications. In addition, we focused on
pushing through further improvements to our cost basis. The performance in
2014 shows that we are on the right track. We will actively take up the
challenges that lie ahead of us."
mybet achieved growth in the Sports Betting and Horse Betting segments in
the 2014 financial year. This compensated for the fall in revenue for the
Casino & Poker segment, where mybet had withdrawn from a number of European
markets due to local regulation, and also for the exit from Spanish lottery
business. Revenue for the Sports Betting segment in 2014 was around 20.9
percent up on the previous year at EUR 40.3 million (previous year: EUR
33.3 million). The factors behind this growth included growth at sports
betting shops following the upgrading of the shop structure and the FIFA
World Cup, which had a correspondingly positive impact on revenue. In the
Casino & Poker segment, revenue fell as expected by 6.4 percent, down from
EUR 23.4 million in the previous year to EUR 21.9 million. The prior-year
figure still includes revenue for various European markets from which mybet
withdrew in mid-2013 due to national regulations. The Horse Betting segment
increased its revenue by 25.4 percent to EUR 7.1 million in the 2014
reporting period (previous year: EUR 5.6 million). Strong growth in online
business lay behind this development. The revenue of the other operating
segment stems mainly from the activities of C4U-Malta Ltd.; it was roughly
on a par with the previous year at EUR 1.1 million (previous year: EUR 1.3
million).
The financial and liquidity situation of the mybet Group was likewise
stable at the 2014 reporting date. With a positive cash flow from operating
activities of EUR 2.8 million (previous year: EUR 0.5 million) and cash and
cash equivalents of EUR 8.7 million the debt-free company enjoys a high
equity ratio of 51.2 percent (previous year: 44.4 percent).
Outlook for 2015
Having successfully initiated the turnaround in the past year, the mybet
Group will continue to pursue its chosen strategy and concentrate on its
operational core skills. The Management Board believes implementing the
necessary product innovations and platform optimisations will be decisively
influence how successful the turnaround is in the current year 2015. Sven
Ivo Brinck: "The turnaround at mybet is still continuing. The focus for
2015 is emphatically on the product and the brand. According to the maxim
of Product and Customer First, we are pursuing three specific goals: a
clear brand promise, a perfect product, and excellent customer service -
not just in the betting shop and on the fixed web, but also on your mobile
phone."
The Management Board foresees two possible scenarios for the 2015 financial
year. In a basic scenario, it expects revenue of between EUR 70 and 75
million. Chief Financial Officer Markus Peuler elaborates: "Essential
investment in products and systems, persisting regulatory and legal
barriers to capitalising on further opportunities for growth as well as
negative exceptional effects from the introduction of value-added tax for
casino and poker games will all influence mybet's revenue and earnings. We
therefore expect balanced earnings before interest and taxes as the basic
scenario, assuming a steady development in revenue. It should be taken into
account that the new rules on sales tax throughout the EU will impose a tax
burden - of which we were as yet unaware in 2014 - of just under EUR 2
million on a number of our products from 2015. Without this additional
burden the planned result would be around EUR 2 million higher.
Unfortunately the introduction of sales tax eats up the entire earnings
growth."
In an alternative scenario, the Management Board is examining additional
investment in technology and products. According to Markus Peuler, this
would have the following effects on the forecast: "If, after our
examinations, we decide in favour of technologically extending the sports
betting product range, the upper end of our revenue forecast of EUR 75
million could be achieved or, in the best case, just exceeded. However the
additional outlay required would mean our best-case EBIT would then
probably come in at EUR -0.5 million. This scenario envisages that the
investment spending will pay healthy dividends from the 2016 financial year
and might consequently produce overproportional rises in income.
The full 2014 Annual Report with the audited Consolidated Financial
Statements are expected to be published at the start of April and made
available on the following websites:
German online report: http://geschaeftsbericht2014.mybet-se.com/
English online report: http://annualreport2014.mybet-se.com/
The conference call will take place after publication of the 2014 Annual
Report. The exact date will be announced in due course.
Key figures for 2014 financial year
<pre>
2014 2013 Change
EUR '000 EUR '000
Revenue 70,361 67,028 +5.1%
Sports Betting 40,301 33,337 +20.9%
Casino & Poker 21,920 23,419 -6.4%
Lotteries 0 3,183 -100.0%
Horse Betting 7,045 5,620 +25.4%
Other 1,135 1,247 -8.9%
Consolidated transfers -44 20 n/a
EBITDA, adjusted* 2,966 -7,487 n/a
EBITDA 2,966 -7,095 n/a
EBIT, adjusted* 596 -10,883 n/a
EBIT 596 -11,291 n/a
Net profit/loss for the period, adjusted* 215 -10,075 n/a
Net profit/loss for the period 215 -10,806 n/a
Earnings per share (EUR) -0.01 -0.45 n/a
31/12/2014 31/12/2013
Cash and cash equivalents 8,676 7,965 +8.9%
Shareholders' equity 18,934 16,960 +16.4%
Equity ratio 51.2% 44.4% +6.8pp
</pre>
* For better comparability, after elimination of DIGIDIS S.L., which was
deconsolidated with effect from November 30, 2013
Contact:
mybet Holding SE
Investor Relations & Corporate Communications
Yulia Link
Tel. : +49 (40) 8537 880
Fax : +49 (40) 8537 8830
Mail : yulia.link@mybet.com
Contact:
mybet Holding SE
Investor Relations & Corporate Communications
Yulia Link
Tel. +49 (40) 85 37 88 47
Fax +49 (40) 85 37 88 30
Mail yulia.link@mybet.com
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Language: English
Company: mybet Holding SE
Jägersberg 23
24103 Kiel
Germany
Phone: +49 40 85 37 88-0
Fax: +49 40 85 37 88-30
E-mail: ir@mybet.com
Internet: www.mybet-se.com
ISIN: DE000A0JRU67
WKN: A0JRU6
Listed: Regulated Market in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Regulated
Unofficial Market in Berlin, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Munich,
Stuttgart
End of News DGAP News-Service
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339647 31.03.2015
DGAP-News: mybet Holding SE: operating turnaround successfully launched in 2014 financial year
| Source: EQS Group AG