Oceania

William Hill’s decision to take a £238m impairment charge on the value of its Australian business saw the bookmaker report a pre-tax loss of £75m for 2017, but the firm is confident that the performance of the business as a whole is positive. While Group net revenue grew 7% to £1,711.1m, a total of £335.0m of exceptional costs and adjustments …

Aristocrat Leisure has reported a strong 2017 showing, “against a backdrop of broadly flat markets and increasing pressure from existing and new competitors”. Speaking at the firm’s annual general meeting, Trevor Croker, Aristocrat CEO, highlighted a fiscal year rise of 15% in group revenue in reported terms, to a record result of more than $2.45b. Earnings before EBITDA also rose …

Australian bookmaker UBET has unveiled a new digital product that it hopes will eventually lead to paperless tickets in its betting shops. Named TAPPY, the new product allows customers to build a bet on their phone, after which they will receive a unique code that can be scanned at terminals to receive a cash payout. Customers will also have access …

Australian gaming operator Tabcorp has seen a retail exclusivity within one of its home states receive an tentative extension agreement, pending approval by the Independent Gambling Authority. Operating through its wholly owned subsidiary ‘UBET SA Pty Ltd,’ the retail wagering license with South Australia is now set to be exclusive until the end of 2032, after its new arrangements are …

Australian pay TV firm Foxtel is pushing for exemptions to its governments gambling advertisement reforms, details the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). The upcoming gambling ban, set to take effect from next month, was pushed through by the government as it promises to ban sports betting ads during the viewing hours of children. Stating that it seeks to “provide a clear …

Marketing agency Digital Fuel will mark this year’s London Affiliate Conference (LAC) by launching a new GDPR compliant acquisition platform for the online gambling sector. Ahead of the conference, the company’s founder and CEO Toby Oddy spoke to SBC News about the importance of attending high profile trade shows, how the increased regulatory responsibilities have shaped the market, and what …

The AUS $11 billion merger pursuit of Tatts Group, has significantly impacted the performance of Australia ASX-listed gambling group Tabcorp Holdings. Following a year of judicial hearings and compliance reviews, Tabcorp governance announced last December that it had secured final approval to complete its merger with Tatts Group. However, publishing its half-year 2018 results (period ending 31 December), Tabcorp reports …

The degree to which the fortunes of the Stars Group and William Hill have diverged since their failed merger talks 18 months ago provides an interesting counterpoint to the current obsession with sector M&A. A recent note on Stars published by the Canadian analyst team at Canaccord Genuity noted that the company’s share price rose 54 percent in 2017, placing …

February 2018 will be a landmark month for all industry stakeholders. The sector’s current agenda and context is dominated by the pending UK government’s judgement on industry FOBTs wagering and advertising standards. Nevertheless, it would be wise for all betting stakeholders to broaden their anxieties, as Australia moves to implement its ‘credit betting ban’ this 17 February, serving industry leadership …

Sky Racing World has announced the re-launch of its New Zealand racing product, with the service to begin distributing horse-racing content from New Zealand Racing Board-operated tracks, to North American advance depositing wagering (ADW) sites. The Louisville, Kentucky, based distributor of international horse-racing content, is to distribute Kiwi content to US and Canadian ADW’s following a six month hiatus. Sky …