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Esports Entertainment Group Reports Fiscal First Quarter 2021 Financial Results
Esports Entertainment Group, Inc., an esports and online gambling company, announced its financial results for the fiscal first quarter ended September 30, 2020, as well as an update on several key business initiatives.
Business Highlights
- Signed agreement to acquire Helix eSports and ggCircuit in deal valued at $43 Million
- Acquired Argyll Entertainment and its SportNation brand, adding Tier 1 gambling license covering UK and Ireland; Malta gaming license secured in May 2020
- Acquired assets of FLIP Sports, providing ownership and control of tech stack
- Acquired Esports Gaming League, with a history of partnerships that include Microsoft, Red Bull Arsenal FC, and Activision; subsequent to acquisition EGL announced first-of-their kind deals with LA Kings, LA Galaxy, and Philadelphia Union to be official esports tournament provider
- Partnered with Allied Esports as title sponsor of the VIE.gg CS:GO Legend Series tournament; the two-week competition drew 1.7 million unique viewers and generated 1 million hours watched, making it the most-watched Legend Series event since tournament was created in 2017
- Expanded partnership with Dignitas, an esports asset of Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment, securing naming rights to famed CS:GO team; partnership includes strategic digital and physical activations in New Jersey marketplace as core focus
- Partnered with Twin Rivers Gaming to launch VIE.gg wagering platform in New Jersey in calendar Q1 2021
- Working with the New Jersey Gaming Commission to launch pilot skill-based player-to-player wagering platform, LANduel
- Opened corporate office at Prudential Center in Newark, NJ
“We have achieved many significant milestones since uplisting to the NASDAQ in April,” commented Grant Johnson, CEO of Esports Entertainment Group. “The COVID-19 pandemic has absolutely accelerated the rapid growth of esports leading to mainstream broadcasts to national TV audiences on ESPN and Fox. These trends helped us set new record audience viewing stats with our partner Allied Esports for the globally recognized Legend Series, just one of many accomplishments during the quarter. We believe the successes achieved this year provide an extremely strong foundation for long-term growth while offering investors a true pure play opportunity in the burgeoning world of global esports.”
Johnson continued, “We have structured our business to deliver a diversified esports and online gambling company via three key business pillars and believe this multi-tiered approach provides investors broad exposure to two major trends, the rise of competitive gaming and the legalization of online gambling in the US.”
“As we look ahead, we believe the acquisitions we have made as well as those we plan to make, combined with a growing list of world-class partnerships, Esports Entertainment is in a great position to accelerate the monetization of our robust three pillar strategy,” concluded Johnson.
F1Q21 Financial Results
Revenue for the three months ended September 30, 2020 totaled $222,392, an increase of $222,392 over the $0 recorded for the three months ended September 30, 2019 (this includes only 2 months of contribution from Argyll because the deal closed on August 4th). The increase was primarily attributable to the acquisition of Argyll Entertainment as we are now revenue a generating company.
Post F1Q21, October has seen a significant uptick, with levels of turnover, Gross Gaming Revenue and Net Revenue returning to pre-COVID levels. Total handle was above $16 mil for the month of October and revenues for the month were above $600K.
Total operating expenses for the three months ended September 30, 2020 totaled $3.7 million, an increase from the $0.7m recorded for the three months ended September 30, 2019. The increase was primarily attributable to the increased payroll, stock compensation, marketing, legal and professional services fees related to increased business activity.
Total net loss for the three months ended September 30, 2020 was $1.8 million, driven principally by reduced revenues related to the measures taken post the regular UK Gambling Commission audit of Argyll Entertainment, partially offset by a change in fair market value of warrant liability of $2.1m.
As of September 30, 2020, the Company had total current assets of $10.4 million and total current liabilities of $8.2 million, resulting in working capital of $2.3 million. Cash and cash equivalents totaled $8.9 million and shareholders’ equity was $16.8 million at September 30, 2020.
Guidance
The Company reaffirms its guidance of $13 million in revenue in fiscal 2021 and $25 million in revenue in fiscal 2022 from its core Argyll and VIE platforms. On a proforma basis, including the acquisitions of Helix Esports and ggCircuit, the Company expects to report $42 million in revenue in fiscal 2022 with positive EBITDA of $2 million.
Fiscal First Quarter 2021 Conference Call
The Company will host a conference call today at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time to discuss its F1Q21 financial results. Participants may join the conference call by dialing 1-855-327-6837 (U.S. Toll-Free) or 1-631-891-4304 (International). A live webcast of the conference call will also be available at http://public.viavid.com/index.php?id=142485.
For those unable to participate in the conference call, a telephonic replay of the call will also be available shortly after the completion of the call, until 11:59 pm ET on Monday, November 30, 2020, by dialing 1-844-512-2921 (United States) or 1-412-317-6671 (International) and entering the replay pin number: 10011948.
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