Industry News

Net Gaming carries out restructuring and issues forecast for Q2 2020

Published

6 years ago

June 16, 2020

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Net Gaming’s operations have performed well during Q2, showing both organic growth and improved underlying profitability in adjusted EBITDA. The Company is in an intensive transformation phase, after Robert Andersson took over as CEO, which means that a reorganisation has been initiated. The reorganisation, which is aimed at creating better conditions for future growth, means that the second quarter has been affected by non-recurring costs.

The reorganisation of the business and transformation to Acroud AB have begun during Q2. The reorganisation involves, among other things, closing the Swedish office and centralising the business to Malta, in order to create a more efficient and cost-effective organisation. The reorganisation will bring annual savings of EUR 0.3m, with full effect from Q3. The reorganisation will give rise to non-recurring costs of EUR 0.5m during Q2 2020, charged to operating profit (EBITDA). The Company has also decided to recognise an impairment loss of EUR 0.5m on assets related to the PokerLoco brand, which will not be included in the new growth strategy adopted in 2020, focusing on fewer products. In parallel, refinancing of the business has been successfully secured in Q2, also resulting in non-recurring costs of approximately EUR 0.3m related to a consent fee, charged to net financial items. Net financial items have also been adversely affected by EUR/SEK exchange rate fluctuations of approximately EUR 1.2m in the first two months of the quarter, as the bond loan is denominated in SEK. The Company’s reported profit after tax for Q2 has been negatively affected by the above factors.

“The underlying operations have shown positive development during Q2, with sequential organic growth of 14%, but also compared with the previous year. It should be noted that a large proportion of the items having a negative impact on Q2 earnings are non-cash items and of an accounting nature. The offensive initiatives and the reorganisation we are now implementing create the conditions for future growth and a brand new Acroud AB that will stand stronger in the future. With Sports betting on the doorstep and a company that is now optimised for the future, we feel strong as we embark on the growth journey we have begun. As proposed to the AGM, we also hope to be able to change our track to the new Acroud AB, which will be a new milestone,” says CEO Robert Andersson.

Forecast Q2 2020

Revenue is expected to amount to EUR 3.6m in Q2 2020, 14 percent higher than in Q1 2020 and 4 percent higher than in Q2 2019.
Adjusted EBITDA (adjusted for non-recurring costs related to reorganisation and rebranding) is expected to amount to EUR 2.1m, 21 percent higher than in Q1 2020 and 4 percent higher than in Q2 2019. The adjusted EBITDA margin for Q2 2020 is expected to be 58 percent.
Reported EBITDA is expected to amount to EUR 1.6m, 10 percent lower than in Q1 2020 and 23 percent lower than in Q2 2019. The EBITDA margin for Q2 2020 is expected to be 43 percent
Reported profit after tax is expected to amount to EUR -1.2m, compared with EUR 2.8m in Q1 2020 and EUR 1.2m in Q2 2019, which was adversely affected by the above-mentioned non-recurring costs and exchange rate fluctuations related to the loan financing. Adjusted for non-recurring costs and exchange rate fluctuations, Adjusted profit after tax for Q2 2020 amounts to EUR 1.4m.
At 30 June 2020, the cash position is estimated at EUR 3.0-3.2m. The Company’s interest-bearing net debt is expected to be EUR 21.5m, corresponding to a debt/equity ratio, defined as net debt/EBITDA, of 3.0x, based on estimated LTM EBITDA at 30 June 2020.
Robert Andersson, President and CEO

All figures are unaudited and based on management accounts. The next financial update is scheduled to take place in connection with this year’s Q2 report on 13 August 2020.

About Net Gaming:
Net Gaming owns, operates and develops high-quality comparison sites, mainly in iGaming affiliation, for the purpose of helping our partners by channelling high-quality users to the Company’s customers – primarily iGaming operators. Through the sites, Net Gaming generates high-quality users, primarily to global iGaming operators. The Company, which was founded in 2003, has just over 70 employees and is headquartered in Malta.

5W

5WPR Expands Gambling and Gaming PR and Digital Marketing Services Ahead of 2026

Published

2 days ago

December 22, 2025

GamingAmericas.com

5wpr-expands-gambling-and-gaming-pr-and-digital-marketing-services-ahead-of-2026

5W, one of the largest independently owned PR firms in the US, announced the expansion of its gambling PR and digital marketing services, helping iGaming operators, sports betting platforms, casinos, esports brands, and gaming studios prepare for the year ahead. The enhanced offering is designed to elevate brand visibility, build trust with players and partners, and drive measurable growth as the industry enters 2026.

5W provides integrated PR, digital marketing, and online reputation management solutions, including media relations, influencer partnerships, content creation, SEO, social campaigns, email marketing, event promotion, and crisis communications. For digital-first strategies, digital PR ensures brands reach the right audiences while strengthening credibility across search and social platforms.

“Our expanded gambling and gaming PR and digital marketing services are designed to help brands enter 2026 with momentum. By integrating PR, digital marketing, and reputation management, we help clients stand out, connect with audiences, and build trust that drives growth for the year ahead,” said Ronn Torossian, Founder & Chairman of 5W.

This expansion underscores 5W’s commitment to delivering results-driven communications and digital marketing solutions for high-growth and established brands in gambling, gaming, and esports.

The post 5WPR Expands Gambling and Gaming PR and Digital Marketing Services Ahead of 2026 appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

fintech

PayDo Launches Unified Payment Infrastructure Suite for Digital Businesses

Published

2 weeks ago

December 9, 2025

Niji Narayan

paydo-launches-unified-payment-infrastructure-suite-for-digital-businesses

Reading Time: 2 minutes

PayDo, a leading global payment ecosystem founded by Serhii Zakharov – who at just 25 became one of the youngest CEOs approved by the FCA to run an Electronic Money Institution in the UK, announced a series of strategic infrastructure launches designed to dismantle the costly complexity of modern payment stacks.

The releases—Direct SEPA & SEPA Instant access, USD SWIFT Accounts, Dedicated C2B Open Banking Collections Accounts and Direct VISA and MasterCard Acquiring—are not standalone products, but integrated components of PayDo’s unified platform.

For the first time, online businesses can access this comprehensive suite under a single contract, one technical integration and with a dedicated account manager, eliminating the operational burden of managing multiple providers.

The launches directly address the primary pain points of payment fragmentation: high costs from intermediaries, slow settlement times, compliance overhead and loss of control. By securing direct memberships and building proprietary technology, PayDo now offers businesses enterprise-grade infrastructure with the agility of a FinTech.

The new services include:

• Direct SEPA & SEPA Instant: As a direct SEPA member, PayDo provides native European processing with no intermediary routing. This ensures faster, lower-cost euro transactions with immediate settlement capabilities via SEPA Instant.

• USD SWIFT Accounts: Online businesses can now receive dedicated USD account details via the SWIFT network, significantly reducing delays and fees associated with cross-border USD transactions, a critical need for a variety of cross-border operating online businesses.

• Dedicated C2B Open Banking Collections Accounts: A pioneering innovation, this service revolutionises how businesses receive payments. It enables instant, direct bank-to-business transfers from customers, offering an alternative to card networks with correct funds tracking and allocation, lower costs and real-time settlement. Functionality supports processing of +100,000 daily transactions.

• Launch of Direct Acquiring: PayDo is now a principal member acquirer for both Visa and Mastercard. This direct relationship removes a layer of intermediaries, reducing processing costs, improving authorisation rates and giving merchants greater control and transparency over their card payment flows.

These services are delivered within PayDo’s unified ecosystem, which also includes its signatory innovation – non-redirect E-Wallet checkout. This earlier innovation provided merchants with full friendly-fraud protection without any rolling reserve requirements. The new ecosystem approach allows companies in sectors like e-commerce, IT services, marketplaces, gaming and other Fintechs to streamline their entire financial operations, turning payment management from a resource drain into a competitive advantage.

Serhii Zakharov, CEO and Founder of PayDo, said: “For years, businesses have been forced to stitch together a patchwork of payment providers, each adding cost, complexity, and delay. We believe the future is not in more fragmentation, but in intelligent unification. These launches are not just new features; they are the foundational pillars of a coherent ecosystem. We are giving our clients direct control over the core rails of finance—from SEPA and SWIFT to card acquiring and Open Banking—all through one partnership. This is how we eliminate the hidden tax of fragmentation and empower businesses to scale globally with clarity and efficiency.”

PayDo’s ecosystem now processes over €5B annually for over 1000 businesses, leveraging its full regulatory compliance in the UK, Canada and the EU. The company’s direct infrastructure model is proving that the next wave of Fintech growth will be driven by consolidation and seamless integration, not further division.

The post PayDo Launches Unified Payment Infrastructure Suite for Digital Businesses appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Free Bet

Meridianbet Reports Renewed Engagement in Custom Prediction Markets in H2 2025

Published

2 weeks ago

December 9, 2025

Niji Narayan

meridianbet-reports-renewed-engagement-in-custom-prediction-markets-in-h2-2025

Reading Time: 2 minutes

While prediction markets have recently attracted increased public attention across politics, finance and culture, Meridianbet, part of the Golden Matrix Group has supported user-generated real-world prediction markets for more than a decade through its proprietary product branded as Free Bet.

For the second half of 2025, customer participation on the Free Bet platform has recorded an 11.5% increase in ticket volumes, reflecting renewed engagement across prediction markets tied to major elections, entertainment outcomes, weather forecasting and novelty-event propositions. Free Bet continues to represent a relatively small and non-material portion of Meridianbet’s overall wagering activity.

Free Bet allows customers to propose wagers on measurable real-world outcomes across sports, politics, entertainment awards, weather forecasting, financial milestones and social statistics. Once a proposed market passes regulatory, settlement and risk review, Meridianbet acts as the professional market maker, prices the odds and takes the lay side of each wager within the Company’s licensed sportsbook framework. This single-market-maker structure enables the delivery of prediction-market-style wagering to mass-market users while ensuring regulatory compliance, operational stability and standardised settlement.

In practical terms, customers initiate Free Bet markets by submitting their own proposed prediction events through Meridianbet’s platforms or retail network. Each submission is reviewed to ensure that the proposed event is lawful, ethically appropriate, clearly measurable and capable of unambiguous settlement under applicable regulatory standards. Only after passing these checks is the event accepted and priced by Meridianbet’s trading operators, who establish odds and offer the market to the customer for wagering.

Top Prediction Markets on Meridianbet

Over the past five years, Meridianbet customers have created and wagered on thousands of custom prediction markets reflecting major real-world outcomes across political cycles, cultural awards, financial milestones, weather forecasting and social trends.

Based on internal ticket volume and platform engagement data, the following five prediction markets have ranked among the most actively played on Meridianbet during this period:

U.S. Presidential Election

Binary outcome markets and related propositions tied to the U.S. presidential election results.

Global Entertainment Awards

Custom markets associated with major award outcomes including Oscars Best Picture and BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

Weather Prediction Markets

Seasonal and location-specific forecasts, including snowfall occurrence and temperature benchmark outcomes during late winter and early spring periods.

Social Outcome Markets

Demographic and statistical propositions connected to public milestones, including birth-gender distributions during peak holiday periods and other large-scale social outcome measurements.

Regulatory & Availability Notice

The Free Bet product and related prediction market offerings are provided strictly in accordance with applicable national and local regulatory requirements and are available only in jurisdictions where such wagering formats are duly authorised by law.

Availability, market scope and wagering features may vary by location and regulatory regime. Certain jurisdictions may restrict or prohibit participation in custom prediction-based wagering products.

The post Meridianbet Reports Renewed Engagement in Custom Prediction Markets in H2 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.