Latest News

Sportradar Announces Strong Third Quarter 2021 Financial Results

Published

5 years ago

November 17, 2021

Reading Time: 6 minutes

Sportradar Group AG , a leading global technology platform enabling next generation engagement in sports, and the number one provider of business-to-business solutions to the global sports betting industry, today announced financial results for its third quarter ended September 30, 2021.

Third Quarter 2021 Highlights

Revenue in the third quarter of 2021 increased 30% compared to the third quarter of 2020 to €136.8 million ($158.7 million)¹, driven by robust growth across all geographies and business segments
Continued strong performance in the U.S. market with U.S. revenue in the third quarter of 2021 increasing by 119% compared to the third quarter of 2020. For the nine months ended September 30, 2021 the U.S. revenue reached €48.5 million ($56.3 million)¹
Adjusted EBITDA* in the third quarter of 2021 was up 21% compared to the third quarter of 2020 to €20.9 million ($24.2 million)¹
Strong Dollar-Based Net Retention Rate* of 128% at the end of third quarter of 2021, underscoring the continued success of our cross-sell and upsell strategy
Successfully extended our partnership through 2028 with FanDuel Group, a leader in the U.S. sports betting market, covering pre-match betting services, live betting services, and betting entertainment tools
Completed successful listing on Nasdaq, raising €546 million of primary net proceeds to fund continued growth in the business, providing the Company with €878 million to continue to invest in global growth
For the full-year 2021, we expect revenue to be in the range of €553 to €555 ($641 to $644)¹ million and Adjusted EBITDA* in the range of €99.5 to 101.5 ($115.4 to $117.7)¹ million.

	Q3	Q3	Change
	2021	2020	%

Revenue	€136.8	€105.3	+30%

Adjusted EBITDA*	€20.9	€17.3	+21%

Adjusted EBITDA margin*	15%	16%	-7%

Dollar-Based Net Retention Rate*	128%	114%	+12%

Adjusted Free Cash Flow*	€32.9	€13.5	+144%

Cash Flow Conversion*	158%	78%	+102%

_____________________
¹ For the convenience of the reader, we have translated Euros amounts in the tables below at the noon buying rate of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on September 30, 2021, which was €1.00 to $1.16.
^* Non-IFRS financial measure; see “Non-IFRS Financial Measures and Operating Metrics” and accompanying tables for further explanations and reconciliations of non-IFRS measures to IFRS measures.

Carsten Koerl, Chief Executive Officer of Sportradar said: “Our strong results demonstrate the value we provide to our partners and customers around the world. We are the largest provider of sports intelligence in the world and the only profitable global sports technology platform of scale. Critically, we believe we are also the most innovative in developing technology solutions that enable our league customers, media and betting partners to use our ever-increasing data to attract and engage sports fans.”

Koerl continued, “We plan to continue to make significant investments, particularly in the U.S. The U.S. represents the primary area of focus to execute on our strategic growth plans, as the U.S. region is currently only 7 percent of our group revenues, representing a significant potential business opportunity as more states legalize betting and the market expands from $1 billion in 2019 to an estimated $23 billion in the next 10 years. Our recent Nasdaq listing in the U.S. was a tremendous milestone for our team, and we look forward to building on our success in a multitude of areas in the years ahead.”

Financial Highlights for the Three Months Ended September 30, 2021

Revenue in the third quarter of 2021 increased by 30% compared to the third quarter of 2020 to €136.8 million
Adjusted EBITDA* in the third quarter of 2021 increased by 21% compared to the third quarter of 2020 to €20.9 million
Adjusted EBITDA margin* remains strong at 15% in the third quarter of 2021, a slight decrease compared to the third quarter 2020 due to additional IPO costs of approximately €5.7 million which were incurred in the third quarter of 2021. Eliminating the impact of IPO costs would result in an Adjusted EBITDA margin of 20%, illustrating our continuous ability to achieve operating leverage
Dollar-Based Net Retention Rate* increased from 114% to 128% for the comparable twelve month period ending at September 30, 2020 and 2021 demonstrating continued execution of our upsell and cross-sell strategy and underscoring the quality of the products and services we provide our customers
Adjusted Free Cash Flow* in the third quarter of 2021 increased by 144% to €32.9 million which resulted in a Group Cashflow conversion of 158%
Cash totaled €768.4 million as of September 30, 2021. Total liquidity available for use at September 30, 2021, including undrawn credit facilities was €878.4 million
Total Debt at September 30, 2021 was €436.7 million resulting in a net cash position of €331.7 million

Segment Information

RoW Betting

Segment revenue in the third quarter of 2021 increased by 24% compared to the third quarter of 2020 to €78.6 million. This growth was driven primarily by uptake in our higher value-add offerings including Managed Betting Services and Live Odds Services, which increased by 63% and 20% respectively, as a result of new customers wins as well as increased turnover² and volume.
Segment Adjusted EBITDA* in the third quarter of 2021 increased by 36% compared to the third quarter of 2020 to €44.7 million. The Segment Adjusted EBITDA margin* improved from 52% to 57% in the third quarter of 2021 driven by growth in higher margin products.

_____________________
² Turnover is the total amount of stakes placed and accepted in betting.

RoW AV

Segment revenue increased in the third quarter of 2021 by 13% compared to the third quarter of 2020 to €29.0 million. This growth was impacted by COVID related schedule changes in 2020, when more matches than usual were played in Q3 2020. Adjusting for schedule changes Q3 2021 growth was approximately 30%, driven by volume growth as we were able to sell more matches (such as Soccer and Baseball) as well as growth from additional, new content (such as Copa America, Horse Racing and eSports) being sold to existing and new customers.
Segment Adjusted EBITDA* in the third quarter of 2021 increased by 220% compared to the third quarter of 2020 to €9.6 million. The Segment Adjusted EBITDA margin* improved from 12% to 33% in the third quarter of 2021 driven by lower cost of some content.

United States

Segment revenue in the third quarter of 2021 increased by 119% compared to the third quarter of 2020 to €19.6 million. This result was driven by growth in our US Betting services and increased revenue from our customers as the underlying market and turnover grew. We also experienced strong adoption of our ad:s product, growth in US Media and a positive impact from the acquisition of Synergy Sports in the second quarter of 2021.
Segment Adjusted EBITDA* in the third quarter of 2021 increased by 24% compared to the third quarter of 2020 to -€(6.6) million. The Segment Adjusted EBITDA margin* improved from (-60%) to (-34%) in the third quarter of 2021 which reflects the scalability of this business and clear path to profitability while continuing to invest in the US market.

Costs and Expenses

Personnel expenses in the third quarter of 2021 increased by €20.0 million compared to the third quarter of 2020 to €51.3 million resulting from additional hires in new business lines (2.849 FTE in the third quarter of 2021 vs 2.235 FTE in the third quarter of 2020), stock-based compensation, and reversal of temporary COVID 19 cost savings in the third quarter of 2021 compared to the third quarter of 2020.
Other Operating expenses in the third quarter of 2021 increased by €15.7 million compared to the third quarter of 2020 to €25.2 million mainly driven by incurred costs for IPO, compliance costs relating to operating as a publicly listed company in the US and M&A costs.
Total Sport rights costs in the third quarter of 2021 decreased by €9.0 million compared to the third quarter of 2020 to €28.7 million resulting from fewer major sporting events in the third quarter of 2021 compared to the third quarter of 2020.
Adjusted EBITDA* in the third quarter of 2021 was negatively impacted by IPO costs of €5.7 million. Eliminating this impact would result in an Adjusted EBITDA* of €26.6 million.

Recent Business Highlights

Issued and sold 19 million shares in connection with the closing of our IPO on Nasdaq raising €546 million of primary net proceeds
Signed integrity partnerships with leading sports leagues and federations such as cricket’s Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL), Badminton Europe and the Austrian Tennis Association
Secured a multi-year exclusive official data and media rights deal with Ligue Nationale de Basket (LNB), France’s top basketball league
Implemented full Computer Vision models for Grand Slam tennis events including Wimbledon and US open
Combined newly developed AI tools with our Managed Trading Services, Sportradar’s holistic trading service for sportsbook operators, to more accurately detect potential betting related match-fixing
Announced partnership extension with US market leader FanDuel Group through 2028
Announced a five-year deal with US betting and iGaming operator, Bally’s Interactive, to help support and grow sportsbook operations in the US
Celebrated three wins at the EGR B2B Awards in the Best Customer Service and Live Streaming Supplier categories, as well as the recently acquired Fresh Eight being shortlisted for Best Marketing and PR Supplier

Financial Outlook

For the full-year 2021, the Company currently expects:

Revenue in the range of €553 million to €555 million, representing growth of 36.6% to 37.1% for fiscal 2021
Adjusted EBITDA* in the range of €99.5 million to €101.5 million, representing growth of 29.4% to 32.0% for fiscal 2021

Conference Call and Webcast Information

Sportradar will host a conference call to discuss the third quarter 2021 financial results on November 17, 2021 at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time (“ET”). The conference call can be accessed live over the phone by dialing 1-877-423-9813, or for international callers 1-201-689-8573. A replay will be available from 11:00 a.m. ET on November 17, 2021 through November 24, 2021, by dialing 1-844-512-2921, or for international callers 1-412-317-6671. The replay passcode will be 13724560.

EU Taxes

Malta Prepares For EU Budget Battle To Stave Off Gambling Levy

Published

2 hours ago

June 26, 2026

Wladimir P.

malta-prepares-for-eu-budget-battle-to-stave-off-gambling-levy

Malta’s Prime Minister has said his nation will veto any attempts by the EU to introduce a bloc-wide online gambling levy, threatening to place the industry at the centre of febrile European politics.

Robert Abela has told Malta’s parliament that he would use his nation’s member state veto to block the passage of the next EU budget, if a proposed gambling levy is included.

The budget, formally known as the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), lays out how the EU will spend its €2trn budget from 2028 to 2034.

The prospect of adding a continent-wide tax to the budget remains only a proposal, but the idea has heavyweight backing.

Vice-president of the European Parliament Victor Negrescu is spearheading these efforts, arguing that a fast-growing digital industry that generates billions in revenue should be subject to EU-level taxation.

Negrescu says that the levy could generate between €2-4bn every year.

“This industry fully benefits from the EU’s single market, digital infrastructure and crossborder access, but operates under fragmented rules, unequal taxation and insufficient enforcement,” he said.

The online gambling sector might well quibble with the specifics of these claims.

The idea that it “fully benefits” from the EU single market may have been unassailably true in the point-of-supply era, but the subsequent fragmentation of national rules that Negrescu refers to has significantly complicated that picture.

Nevertheless, backing for the levy from a senior European politician has naturally spooked the industry and its primary champion within the EU, Malta.

The levy would be so damaging to Malta’s economic interests that it is willing to use its most powerful EU instrument by executing a veto in the European Council in order to block the budget from being approved.

That would likely plunge the island nation into the centre of a political firestorm, but recent history suggests that smaller EU nations and their allies can successfully disrupt budget negotiations.

During discussions over the 2020 EU budget, Poland and Hungary successfully secured concessions after they both threatened to veto the MFF over rule-of-law requirements.

Malta will also hope to rely on support from the Friends of Cohesion, an informal alliance of 16 nations concerned with regional development, of which it is a part.

Negrescu’s pledge to pair his levy with a “clear EU directive against illegal and unlicensed platforms” is unlikely to satisfy the online gambling industry, despite growing complaints of a rampant black market from a number of quarters.

Malta strikes again

In simple terms, Malta is seeking to protect an industry which accounts for 10 percent of its gross domestic product.

The nation has shown a clear willingness to ignore the EU’s wishes in order to shield the many gaming firms that host their headquarters within its borders.

Most notably, the creation of Bill 55 has successfully protected local companies from having to repay hundreds of millions of euros in player refund settlements.

Ongoing cases before the Court of Justice of the European Union suggest that Europe’s top judges will soon rule against Bill 55, which is now Article 56A of Malta’s gambling act.

The European Commission also launched infringement proceedings against Malta over the provision

Tax troubles.

There are so far no specifics on how the levy would be calculated or what value it would be set at, but beyond Malta an additional levy would also be extremely challenging for operators in European markets already struggling with high tax burdens.

This includes the Netherlands, where a government report released this week has shown that staggered increases to taxes of 37.8 percent of gross gambling revenue (GGR) have failed to deliver any benefit to the country’s budget.

Even a relatively slight increase to this tax rate could send more operators scurrying out the market and see channelisation dive further than its current rate of 55 percent.

Nations like France, where online betting is taxed at 59.3 percent of GGR, or Portugal, with its 8 percent turnover tax on online sports betting, would also feel an impact.

Negotiations over the contents of the EU budget are set to continue for several months, with the approval process expected to be completed in late 2026 or early 2027.

Leaders in the Council of Europe have agreed to come to a preliminary deal on the MFF by October, according to a coordinated statement issued earlier this month.

Malta’s devout opposition to a possible gambling levy is just one of a range of issues under discussion, including a stark divide between nations such as Germany, which favour spending cuts, and the Friends of Cohesion, who want additional cash for agriculture and regional funding.

The post Malta Prepares For EU Budget Battle To Stave Off Gambling Levy appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

anime

G2 drops limited-edition One Piece streetwear capsule on June 25

Published

7 hours ago

June 25, 2026

Wladimir P.

g2-drops-limited-edition-one-piece-streetwear-capsule-on-june-25

The esports organisation’s second anime apparel collaboration will be sold exclusively via g2esports.com/shop.

G2 is launching a limited-edition G2 | One Piece capsule collection on June 25, with the drop available exclusively through the organisation’s online store at g2esports.com/shop.

The collection is inspired by One Piece’s Gear 5 Monkey D. Luffy and includes hoodies, zip-ups, t-shirts, caps, sleeves, and tote bags. According to G2, the items use a black-and-white palette and feature a minimalist embroidered logo alongside a custom G2 | One Piece Jolly Roger that combines the G2 samurai emblem with Luffy’s straw hat.

“At G2, we’re continuing to push the culture and fashion of esports beyond competition alone, and this One Piece collection is a natural extension of that,” says Sabrina Ratih, COO of G2 Esports. “We wanted to create a capsule that continues to elevate the esports fashion space – understated, premium, and stylish enough for everyday wear, while still carrying the spirit of adventure, ambition, and individuality that defines One Piece and G2 alike. Every piece is designed to bridge the gap between fandom and everyday style, and continuing our mission to redefine what esports fashion can be.”

G2 described the drop as its second anime collaboration, following a previous apparel collaboration with Solo Leveling. The company positioned the release as part of its broader effort to connect esports, anime, and streetwear.

One Piece debuted in 1999 and remains one of the largest anime franchises globally. G2 cited over 600 million manga copies sold and more than 1,160 episodes for the series.

The post G2 drops limited-edition One Piece streetwear capsule on June 25 appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Latest News

Ygam joins four UKRI-funded gambling harms research partnerships

Published

7 hours ago

June 25, 2026

Wladimir P.

ygam-joins-four-ukri-funded-gambling-harms-research-partnerships

Projects sit within UKRI’s Research Programme on Gambling and the GHR-UK Evidence Centre, backed by the statutory levy.

Ygam has been named as a partner on four projects funded through the UKRI Research Programme on Gambling, supported by the statutory levy. The charity will work with academic teams including the University of Birmingham, Bournemouth University, the University of Plymouth, Lancaster University, and Liverpool John Moores University.

The four projects sit within the Gambling Harms Research UK (GHR-UK) Evidence Centre, which coordinates 19 one-year Innovation Partnerships under the programme. UKRI has been appointed by the UK Government to oversee research commissioned through the new statutory Gambling Levy. Under the levy, 20% of annual funding will be allocated to research, equating to £22.1 million in 2025/26.

Emily Tofield, Chief Executive of Ygam, said: “We are pleased to be working in partnership with leading university partners, contributing our expertise in a key strategic area of our work. A defining strength of our approach is that it is grounded in robust insight and research, underpinning everything we do. This enables us to understand how and why harms emerge and translate that into practical, preventative education that is credible and scalable. We look forward to achieving these outcomes together and informing effective measures to prevent harms among children and young people.”

Ygam said its advisory panels — including young people, individuals with lived experience, community and faith leaders, gaming and esports representatives, and student ambassadors — will help shape the research to reflect “real-world experience and diverse community perspectives.”

The four partnerships are: INTEGRATE (University of Birmingham, Ygam, Al-Hurraya and Community Connexions), focused on intersectional gambling harm and interventions for children, young people and emerging adults; “From Evidence to Action: Safeguarding Neurodivergent Young People in Gamified Digital Environments” (Bournemouth University, Ygam, Work’n’Diversity CIC), focused on gambling-like risks in gamified digital environments; GRASP (University of Plymouth-led partnership including NatCen, NHS and third-sector organisations, and Ygam), mapping support pathways and gaps in prevention and recovery; and GRACE-Net (Lancaster University and Liverpool John Moores University with local authorities, NHS partners, third-sector organisations and Ygam), testing collaborative approaches in the North West of England and sharing learning more widely.

The post Ygam joins four UKRI-funded gambling harms research partnerships appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.