Bet-at-home Reports Tripled Profits Despite Earnings Decline
The German sports betting and online gambling firm, Bet-at-home.com, has declared that despite a reduction in earnings, they achieved a threefold increase in profits due to cost-cutting measures.
The company, a subsidiary of FL Entertainment, reported a total income of €24.2 million for the first six months of 2023. This represents a 9.3% decrease compared to the same period in 2022, when they generated €26.7 million.
They attributed this decline to new regulations in Germany, their primary market.
Specifically, Bet-at-home cited the monthly betting restrictions that were implemented in Germany on July 1, 2022.
These restrictions were part of the country’s new gambling legislation, which also included a €1 per spin limit on online slot machines.
The company also stated that the online gambling industry as a whole performed below expectations, which they also attributed to heightened regulations in the previous year.
However, their profits more than tripled in the first half of the year, rising from €1.1 million last year to €3.8 million.
Bet-at-home attributed this to their rigorous cost-cutting measures.
They reduced their personnel expenses by 39%.
As a result of two rounds of organizational adjustments in 2022, the firm’s revenue declined by 3% annually to €4.7 million.
Marketing expenditures also decreased by 5.6% to €5.5 million. The company stated that remaining spending would be concentrated on promotional campaigns in anticipation of the commencement of the 2023-24 football season.
Other operational expenses dropped by 13.9% annually to €6.2 million, in comparison to €7.2 million in the initial half of 2022.
**Bet-at-home’s difficulties**
Bet-at-home’s cost-reduction initiatives follow a challenging period for the enterprise, which is progressively withdrawing from its operations in several key regions.
In October 2021, the company declared it would exit the Austrian market after encountering legal obstacles to its operations.
In this instance, certain players demanded compensation for losses incurred by wagering with unregulated operators in the nation.
Bet-at-home also opted to shut down its Maltese operations, which were established to target the Austrian market. The business had a debt of €27.4 million, of which €24.1 million was utilized to reimburse players.
Following the closure, the operator cautioned of heightened liquidity risk and that the company might not be able to fulfill its financial responsibilities.
The company also surrendered its UK license after the UK Gambling Commission resolved to investigate it, discovering significant anti-money laundering and social responsibility deficiencies.
**Future outlook**
Bet-at-home anticipates its overall wagering income for the remainder of the year to fall between €50 million and €60 million. They attribute this to robust performance in online sports wagering during the latter half of 2023.
The firm also confirmed their earlier forecast of an EBITDA ranging from -€3 million to €1 million for the entire year. They clarified that this will be influenced by increased marketing expenditures in the second half of the year, impacting their earnings.
As of June 30th, Bet-at-home held €37.8 million in liquid assets, exceeding the €35.2 million they possessed in the initial half of 2022.
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