Industry News
Inspired Reports First Quarter 2020 Results

- First Quarter Revenue Increased 55.4% Year-Over-Year, to $52.3 Million, Despite Disruption from the Ongoing COVID-19 Global Pandemic That Has Impacted the Company’s Land-Based Business
- First Quarter Adjusted EBITDA1 of $10.1 Million Declined Year-Over-Year Primarily Due to the Abrupt Nature of the Customer Closures Related to COVID-19 and the Delay in Realizing Effects from Associated Expense Reductions
- 161 Valor
Terminals Sold in North America During the First Quarter - Strong Demand in Interactive Business with April Recurring Revenues from Interactive Increasing 30% and 100% over March and February, Respectively
- Virtuals in Greek Retail Shops Re-Launched May 11th
Inspired Entertainment, Inc. today reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2020.
Financial results comparison for the first quarter 2020 versus first quarter 2019 on a reported basis:2
Total Revenue increased to $52.3 million, from $33.7 million during the first quarter of 2019, primarily driven by $27.4 million in revenue from the recently acquired Novomatic Gaming Technology Group (“Acquired Businesses”). However, this increase was significantly offset by the lag in sales and temporary suspension of the Company’s land-based business due to the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic (“COVID-19 Closures”) and the decrease in revenue in the UK Licensed Betting Office (“LBO”) market primarily caused by the reduction in maximum B2 stakes to £2 implemented on April 1, 2019 (the “Triennial Implementation”).
Adjusted EBITDA1 decreased to $10.1 million, from $13.7 million during the first quarter of 2019. First quarter 2020 results included $2.8 million from the Acquired Businesses (in its seasonally weakest quarter as leisure parks are closed in the winter months throughout the UK estate). The impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic was greater on Adjusted EBITDA than it was on Revenue due to the abrupt nature of the closures, which caused the Company to incur significant costs which had no associated revenues.
“The year got off to a strong start, building on the momentum from outstanding organic growth, increased profitability across our businesses and better-than-expected initial results from our transformative acquisition which we realized in the fourth quarter of 2019,” said Lorne Weil, Executive Chairman of Inspired. “However, the COVID-19 global pandemic resulted in the temporary closure of the land-based retail businesses of our customers with continuation of many of the associated expenses, which had a material negative impact on our first quarter results.”
Summary of Consolidated First Quarter 2020 Financial Results |
||||||
Functional |
||||||
Quarter Ended |
Currency |
Currency |
||||
March 31 |
Change |
Movement |
Growth |
|||
2020 |
2019 |
(%) |
2020 |
(%) |
||
(In $ millions, except per share figures) |
||||||
GAAP Measures: |
||||||
Revenue |
$ 52.3 |
$ 33.7 |
55.4% |
$ (0.8) |
57.8% |
|
Net operating (loss) income |
$ (7.2) |
$ (0.7) |
NM2 |
$ 0.2 |
NM2 |
|
Net (loss) |
$ (17.4) |
$ (5.0) |
NM2 |
$ 0.6 |
NM2 |
|
Net (loss) per diluted share |
$ (0.78) |
$ (0.24) |
NM2 |
|||
Non-GAAP Financial Measures1: |
||||||
Adjusted EBITDA |
$ 10.1 |
$ 13.7 |
(26.4)% |
$ (0.2) |
(25.2)% |
|
1Reconciliation to GAAP shown below. 2Percentage change is not meaningful. |
Management Commentary Regarding COVID-19
The ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic has had an impact on our business with our different businesses and geographies affected to varying degrees. Revenue from our land-based retail customers declined, ultimately to near zero, as their respective physical locations closed during the last two-thirds of March as follows, Italy on or about March 10th, Greece on or about March 14th and the UK on or about March 20th. Interactive revenues have performed well with April recurring revenues across our interactive channels increasing approximately 30% and 100% over March and February, respectively.
Weil continued, “We are pleased that our interactive business has shown not only resilience, but also strength during these unprecedented times with sales from our interactive channels helping to compensate for declines in revenue from our land-based retail business. Our Virtual Sports content has helped to provide content given the lack of live sports content that currently exists and has, in some cases, taken center stage, as witnessed by the successes of the high-profile ‘The Kentucky Derby: Triple Crown Showdown’ and ‘Virtual Grand National’. These products have helped to drive demand for additional channels from existing customers and an influx of potential new customers. We have a pipeline of customers ready to launch the new V-Play Plug & Play Management has taken an aggressive range of actions which lead us to believe we are well positioned to weather the impacts of COVID-19. The Company has implemented cost-saving measures across its workforce and delayed non-essential capital expenditures. Additionally, management agreed to an indefinite delay in the payment of accrued executive bonuses payments for 2019. In an elective decision to preserve cash and provide for additional flexibility, the Company agreed with its lenders to extend the grace period for the interest payment that was due April 1, 2020 to 75 days. In addition, we have applied to access certain UK Government-sponsored lending programs, which have the stated goal of buffering the liquidity position of companies such as Inspired as these companies “reopen” their businesses in the future.
“During these unprecedented times, we are confident we have taken the necessary actions to reduce our expenditures and optimize our cash position,” said Stewart Baker, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Inspired. “As of May 15, 2020, we had GBP£39.6 million, or $48.4 million3, in cash on the balance sheet and we were able to generate positive Adjusted EBITDA in April based upon our preliminary view of results for the month. Given our efforts to preserve liquidity, we believe we will be able to manage through this crisis and create stockholder value by executing on our key strategic initiatives and increasing returns on investment through disciplined capital allocation.”
The Company is well prepared for our customers’ properties to reopen and the associated process of restarting their respective normalized operations. We believe our geographically diversified portfolio of customers that focus on their respective generally locally-based end users will play an important role in our recovery. We have started to see restrictions being lifted in certain jurisdictions in which we operate. For example, on May 11, 2020, the Greek government reopened OPAP shops, with both live and virtual sports betting, and we have seen what we believe to be promising results to date.
“We have benefited from both our product diversity and the aggressive actions our management team has taken. We will be prepared to relaunch land-based retail operations in each of our markets as soon as conditions permit. We are confident we will emerge from this crisis in a strong position and we remain excited about our long-term growth prospects, where we continue to see upside from North American penetration, accelerated UK Pub and Leisure digitization, additional customers coming onboard in Virtual Sports and Interactive, as well as the benefits of the integration of our recent acquisition,” concluded Weil. Recent Highlights (through May 15, 2020)
Server Based Gaming (“SBG”)
Virtual Sports
Interactive (Results Included within Virtual Sports)
Acquired Businesses
Overview of First Quarter Results Versus Prior Year First Quarter
SBG Service Revenue declined by $7.5 million, or 35.8%, in the first quarter, of which approximately $4.4 million of the decline is estimated to have resulted from the Triennial Implementation and approximately $2.1 million is estimated to have resulted from COVID-19 Closures. The estimated impact of the decrease related to COVID-19 Closures by market was approximately $1.1 million in the UK, approximately $0.6 million in Greece, and approximately $0.3 million in Italy. Additionally, revenue in Italy decreased by $0.9 million, primarily due to the introduction of player cards and increased taxes. Revenue in Greece increased by $0.8 million as a result of the continued rollout of contracted VLTs. UK LBO Customer Gross Win per unit per day declined approximately 32.3% year-over-year divided between the approximate 23.0% adverse impact from the Triennial Implementation and the approximate 9.3% adverse impact for COVID-19 Closures.
SBG Hardware Revenue increased by $0.5 million, or 16.4%, driven by our Valor Virtual Sports Revenue decreased by $1.0 million, or 10.1%, primarily driven by a $1.0 million decline in retail recurring revenue due to COVID-19 Closures. A $0.5 million increase in recurring revenue from scheduled online Virtuals and a $0.4 million increase in recurring revenue from Interactive were mostly offset by a $0.7 million one-time adjustment for a payment of historically under-reported revenue share in the prior year. Acquired Businesses Service Revenue was $21.4 million in the first quarter, of which approximately $9.7 million was generated from Pub customers for gaming machines and other rental products. The Company’s average installed base within the Pub business included 8,483 Category C gaming machines. Digital gaming machines accounted for 68.2% of the total Category C gaming machines as of March 31, 2020, which was an increase from 52.4% at the end of the comparable period in 2019, reflecting the continued conversion of Category C gaming machines from analog to digital in the UK Pub estate.
Leisure parks contributed approximately $1.9 million in revenue, which is typically its weakest quarter given leisure parks are generally closed in the winter months throughout the UK estate. Revenue from Motorway Service Areas and Adult Gaming Centers was $5.8 million in the quarter and included 5,042 machines on a rental basis. Software license fee revenue was $1.4 million in the quarter.
Acquired Businesses Hardware Revenue was $6.0 million and includes the sale of 930 machines as well as spare parts and repairs.
SG&A expenses increased by $14.4 million, or 97.5%, to $29.1 million. Incremental SG&A expenses from the Acquired Businesses amounted to $16.9 million, which was partially offset by a $2.0 million decrease in SG&A for the Legacy Inspired Business.
Adjusted EBITDA was $10.1 million, a year-over-year decrease of 26.4%. The Acquired Businesses contributed $2.8 million in Adjusted EBITDA (in its seasonally weakest quarter, as leisure parks are closed in the winter months throughout the UK estate). The Legacy Inspired Business Adjusted EBITDA decreased $6.4 million which includes the negative impact of the COVID-19 Closures and the adverse results from the Triennial Implementation. Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities Less Cash from Investing Activities during the quarter decreased to an inflow of $0.1 million from an inflow of $3.1 million in the prior year period. This is primarily due to an increase in capital expenditures related to the Acquired Businesses, such funds used for the continuing digitization of the UK pub estate and to prepare for peak season for the leisure estate.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
We use certain non-GAAP financial measures, including Adjusted EBITDA, to analyze our operating performance. We use these financial measures to manage our business on a day-to-day basis. We believe that these measures are also commonly used in our industry to measure performance. For these reasons, we believe that these non-GAAP financial measures provide expanded insight into our business, in addition to standard U.S. GAAP financial measures. There are no specific rules or regulations for defining and using non-GAAP financial measures, and as a result the measures we use may not be comparable to measures used by other companies, even if they have similar labels. The presentation of non-GAAP financial information should not be considered in isolation from, or as a substitute for, or superior to, financial information prepared and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. You should consider our non-GAAP financial measures in conjunction with our U.S. GAAP financial measures.
We define our non-GAAP financial measures as follows:
Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net loss excluding depreciation and amortization, interest expense, interest income and income tax expense, and other additional specified exclusions and adjustments. Such additional excluded amounts include stock-based compensation, U.S. GAAP charges where the associated liability is expected to be settled in stock, and changes in the value of earnout liabilities and income and expenditure in relation to legacy portions of the business (being those portions where trading no longer occurs) including closed defined benefit pension schemes. Additional adjustments are made for items considered outside the normal course of business, including (1) restructuring costs, which include charges attributable to employee severance, management changes, restructuring, dual running costs, costs related to facility closures and integration costs (2) merger and acquisition costs and (3) gains or losses not in the ordinary course of business. This does not include any losses related to COVID-19. We believe Adjusted EBITDA, when considered along with other performance measures, is a particularly useful performance measure, because it focuses on certain operating drivers of the business, including sales growth, operating costs, selling and administrative expense and other operating income and expense. We believe Adjusted EBITDA can provide a more complete understanding of our operating results and the trends to which we are subject, and an enhanced overall understanding of our financial performance and prospects for the future. Adjusted EBITDA is not intended to be a measure of liquidity or cash flows from operations or a measure comparable to net income or loss, because it does not take into account certain aspects of our operating performance (for example, it excludes non-recurring gains and losses which are not deemed to be a normal part of underlying business activities). Our use of Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to the use by other companies of similarly termed measures. Management compensates for these limitations by using Adjusted EBITDA as only one of several measures for evaluating our operating performance. In addition, capital expenditures, which affect depreciation and amortization, interest expense, and income tax benefit (expense), are evaluated separately by management.
Functional Currency at Constant rate. Currency impacts shown have been calculated as the current-period average GBP: USD rate less the equivalent average rate in the prior period, multiplied by the current period amount in our functional currency (GBP). The remaining difference, referred to as functional currency at constant rate, is calculated as the difference in our functional currency, multiplied by the prior-period average GBP: USD rate, as a proxy for functional currency at constant rate movement.
Currency Movement represents the difference between the results in our reporting currency (USD) and the results on a functional currency at constant rate basis.
Reconciliations from net loss, as shown in our Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss included elsewhere in this release, to Adjusted EBITDA are shown below. The 2018/2019 EBITDA comparison does not include the Acquired Businesses in the 2019 numbers.
Conference Call and Webcast Inspired management will host a conference call and simultaneous webcast at 10:00 a.m. ET / 3:00 p.m. UK on Monday, May 18, 2020 to discuss the financial results and general business trends.
Telephone: The dial-in number to access the call live is 1-844-746-0725 (US) or 1-412-317-5264 (International). Participants should ask to be joined into the Inspired Entertainment call.
Webcast: A live audio-only webcast of the call can be accessed through the “Events and Presentations” page of the Company’s website at www.inseinc.com under the Investors link. Please follow the registration prompts.
Replay of the call: A telephone replay of the call will be available one hour after the conclusion of the call until May 25, 2020 by dialing 1-877-344-7529 (US) or 1-412-317-0088 (International), via replay access code 10143795. A replay of the webcast will also be available on the Company’s website at www.inseinc.com.
About Inspired Entertainment, Inc. Inspired offers an expanding portfolio of content, technology, hardware and services for regulated gaming, betting, lottery, and leisure operators across retail and mobile channels around the world. The Company’s gaming, virtual sports, interactive and leisure products appeal to a wide variety of players, creating new opportunities for operators to grow their revenue. The Company operates in approximately 35 jurisdictions worldwide, supplying gaming systems with associated terminals and content for more than 50,000 gaming machines located in betting shops, pubs, gaming halls and other route operations; virtual sports products through more than 44,000 retail channels; digital games for 100+ websites; and a variety of amusement entertainment solutions with a total installed base of more than 19,000 devices. Additional information can be found at www.inseinc.com.
SOURCE Inspired Entertainment, Inc.
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Gambling in the USA
Gaming Americas Weekly Roundup – August 11-17

Welcome to our weekly roundup of American gambling news again! Here, we are going through the weekly highlights of the American gambling industry which include the latest news and new partnerships. Read on and get updated.
Latest News
AU10TIX announced the launch of a free Child Safety Age Assurance Risk and Readiness Assessment and Age Assurance Readiness Guide designed to help businesses better understand their risk and tailor their strategy to meet regulatory obligations. They support AU10TIX’s Selfie-based Age Estimation service, which delivers the industry’s most precise and unbiased age assessment in just two seconds. In the US, federal legislation such as the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) requires parental consent for users under 13, while the California Consumer Privacy Act mandates age verification for websites accessed by users under 16. Additionally, 19 U.S. states now enforce mandatory age checks for adult content and gambling platforms. Similar regulations are impacting social media and online services in the UK, EU and Australia.
Caesars Entertainment has launched its third fully in-house developed proprietary online casino title: Signature American Roulette. Now live in New Jersey, the game is available across Caesars Palace Online Casino, Caesars Sportsbook & Casino and Horseshoe Online Casino, bringing another standout addition to the Company’s Signature table game series. Developed by Empire Creative, Signature American Roulette reflects Caesars’ growing investment in building its own proprietary content, a cornerstone of its online casino strategy aimed at delivering a best-in-class player experience. Signature American Roulette follows the recent launches of fan-favourite Signature titles, Caesars Palace Signature Multihand Blackjack Surrender in May and Signature Blackjack Surrender in June, both also developed by Empire Creative.
Novig announced the successful close of an $18 million Series A funding round. The round was led by Forerunner, with participation from existing investors Y Combinator, NFX, Perceptive Ventures and Gaingels. Founded by Jacob Fortinsky and Kelechi Ukah, Novig is reimagining sports predictions as a transparent and fair marketplace. Unlike traditional sportsbooks, Novig allows users to trade directly with one another, rather than against the house, eliminating hidden fees, biased odds and the risk of being penalised for winning.
Partnerships
IGT announced that it has secured a multi-year sports betting technology and services agreement with Hipodromo de Agua Caliente SA de CV and Distribuidora Internacional de Equipos de Juego, S. De R.L. De C.V. that will significantly extend IGT PlaySports’ footprint to Mexico and Latin America via Corporación Caliente. Per the agreement, 42 Caliente sportsbooks in Mexico will leverage the IGT PlaySports platform and services from the Company’s Trading Advisory Services Team. Through a phased rollout, Caliente will also be able to provide select sportsbooks operators throughout Latin America access to IGT PlaySports’ technology, extending the technology’s reach to more than 100 additional venues across eight countries.
CT Interactive has announced a strategic partnership with Ondiss. Through this collaboration, CT Interactive’s top-performing titles are now integrated into the Ondiss platform, significantly expanding the company’s reach within the region’s regulated iGaming market. This integration adds value to the broad Argentine audience of Casino & Hotel Casino Magic S.A., which successfully uses the Ondiss platform. With CT Interactive’s certified and player-favourite content now available, operators on the platform are empowered to diversify their offerings and meet the increasing demand for engaging, high-quality games.
The post Gaming Americas Weekly Roundup – August 11-17 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Industry News
PAGCOR Opposes Online Gambling Ban Amid Pressure to Criminalise the Industry

PAGCOR, the Philippine gaming regulator, has opposed a proposed ban on online gambling, despite mounting nationwide calls to criminalise it over soaring numbers of addiction, debt and mental health cases.
The online gambling sector in the Philippines has been growing exponentially, with gross revenues jumping from $140M in 2022 to $2.4B in 2024, according to Senate Committee on Games and Amusement data.
The committee held a hearing last week, highlighting the human cost of the industry, with its members demanding to outlaw it, saying the country was facing a full-blown public health and social crisis.
Sen. Erwin Tulfo, who led the hearing on online gambling, warned that “as long as online gambling exists, we are breeding the next generation of addicts, debtors, and broken families.”
He called for a ban and to “prosecute not only the operators, but also the enablers — in the government and in the private sector — who profit from this misery.”
PAGCOR, which is both an operator and regulator, said it “is not in favor of a total ban and instead advocates for stricter regulation.”
The regulator said that illegal operators are the real problem.
“Unfortunately, many of these unregulated online operators are based overseas who target Filipinos, most of whom do not realize that the sites they are playing on are not licensed by PAGCOR. This is where problems arise, especially regarding age restrictions.”
But a survey cited by senators indicates that age was not the main issue. It indicated that 66% of Filipinos aged 18 to 40, and 57% of those aged 41 to 55 were engaged in online gambling. Nearly a third bet multiple times a week, some wagering up to $53 per session.
Majority Leader Joel Villanueva warned online gambling is a “growing national crisis” in the Philippines.
“People are not just risking their hard-earned money. They are putting their futures, families, and lives on the line. The lure of instant wealth has already led many down a path of addiction, debt, and despair,” he said.
“Online gambling is not just a matter of financial loss. It is strongly associated with serious mental and physical health issues, broken relationships, family conflict, increased cases of domestic violence and suicide, crime against persons and property, and ultimately, the erosion of opportunities and dignity in the lives of many Filipinos.”
The post PAGCOR Opposes Online Gambling Ban Amid Pressure to Criminalise the Industry appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Industry News
UNLV International Gaming Institute Launches New AI Research Hub

The UNLV International Gaming Institute has launched a new AI Research Hub (AiR Hub) to tackle some of the most pressing challenges facing the gaming industry’s digital transformation.
Co-founder Kasra Ghaharian, the institute’s director of research, said the AiR Hub will address critical questions reshaping the sector: How is artificial intelligence transforming gaming operations? What governance frameworks should guide AI implementation in this traditionally regulated industry? Which emerging technologies must operators master to stay competitive? And how can the sector effectively integrate responsible AI practices with cutting-edge academic research?
“So all of these things that you might expect a research institution to do,” Ghaharian said, “we wanted to do specifically for this intersection of AI with gambling.”
While scattered research around AI in gaming has existed, Ghaharian said there hasn’t previously been a central hub for it. He and AiR Hub co-founder Simo Dragicevic, an International Gaming Institute (IGI) adjunct fellow, saw the opportunity to generate evidence, research and insight that could help the industry better understand and navigate AI technology.
“I think IGI has always had this place to be a thought leader in terms of knowledge, insights for the breadth of stakeholders across the gambling industry. And with the growth and expansion of this new technology, which is artificial intelligence, I think it’s important for us to continue that reputation,” Ghaharian said.
AI is and will continue to have a fundamental impact on all aspects of society, said Dragicevic, who is an industry veteran with experience in gaming software, regulation and AI.
As the gaming industry naturally focuses on product innovation and growth, it’s important someone is also looking at the potential safety aspects that may arise from AI — and AiR Hub is prepared to take on this critical role, Dragicevic said.
“Given the arguably controversial nature of the gambling industry and the gambling product, when it intersects with this technology — which, in and of itself, is controversial — I think that highlights the need for scrutiny; for some research to help guide the ship,” Ghaharian said.
The AiR Hub has received financial support from a variety of industry stakeholders, Ghaharian said. Founding industry members will also serve on an industry advisory panel to ensure that what the hub is doing is practical and relevant.
“It’s kind of that analogy of the ivory tower, right?” he said. “We don’t want to be just in a silo, not speaking to the industry, doing research that we think is relevant, that might not be applicable.”
There’s a reason the new entity is called a “hub” and not a “lab,” Dragicevic said, and that’s to emphasize its collaborative nature.
AiR Hub will build a framework and tools for regulators to help them ask the right questions before making any decisions on whether regulations need to adapt to change, he said, by inviting them to work with academics and partner universities in the early stages of projects.
It will also be important to engage the industry to ensure framework and tools are practical and factor in the complexities and nuances of the industry, Dragicevic said.
The post UNLV International Gaming Institute Launches New AI Research Hub appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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