888 Holdings has unveiled a significant rebranding initiative and a fresh strategic roadmap, even though the enterprise continues to report a net deficit in the 2023 fiscal year.
888 Holdings recorded an adjusted EBITDA of £308.3 million ($390.4 million/€359.6 million) in the 2023 fiscal year, in comparison to £217.9 million in 2022.
The firm’s annual income was £1.7 billion, compared to £1.24 billion in the previous year. The net loss amounted to £56.4 million, as opposed to £120.5 million in 2022. The basic loss per share from continuing operations was halved to £0.126, compared to £0.283 in 2022.
Despite the rise in revenue and adjusted earnings compared to 2022, adjusted post-tax profit declined by 25% to £48.1 million.
Although the figures were “discouraging,” the company’s fiscal 2023 results aligned with its post-transaction update in January 2024. At that time, the company announced a series of job cuts, stating that it would aid the company in achieving its long-term objectives. 888 did not reveal which departments would be impacted.
Overall, revenue of £1.7 billion exhibited a 38% increase on a non-proportional basis compared to 2022. This was attributed to an active shift away from the on-demand market, as well as changes in the UK customer base due to “extra gambling measures.”
Marketing expenses also experienced a notable decrease, falling by nearly £20 million year-on-year, from £257 million to.
During the year 2023, the firm’s income reached a remarkable £237.6 million, a significant increase from the modest £8 million recorded in 2022.
However, operational expenses nearly doubled, rising from £448.5 million in 2022 to a substantial £819.1 million in 2023. Despite this disparity, operating earnings remained a positive aspect of the financial landscape. The organization reported an operating profit of £33 million in 2023, a notable improvement from a loss of £4.8 million in 2022.
The adjusted EBITDA margin for the fiscal year 2023 reached 18.0%. This aligns with the 18%-19% range mentioned in the January trading update. This also represents a 1.2% increase compared to 16.8% in the fiscal year 2022. 888 attributed this positive trend to enhanced profitability and a strategic focus on high-return marketing expenditures. The company stated that this offset the impact of shifts in the online marketplace.
Cash reserves (excluding customer balances) amounted to £128 million as of December 31, 2023. Adding the £150 million undrawn revolving credit facility (RCF) brought the company’s total liquidity to nearly £278 million.
Net debt also experienced a slight decrease to £1.7 billion. This was partially attributed to favorable exchange rate fluctuations. Overall, this resulted in an adjusted net debt/EBITDA ratio of 5.6 times, unchanged from the preceding year.
Market Performance
The UK and Ireland region continued to be the group’s primary revenue generator. Revenue in this region also witnessed a significant increase, rising from £455.5 million in 2022 to £658.5 million in 2023. Adjusted EBITDA also doubled, increasing from £61.6 million in 2022 to £152.3 million in 2023.
It is noteworthy that even after the group’s challenges, the UK still represents 81.5% of adjusted EBITDA.
The detrimental effects of the tactical modifications might already be surfacing, indicating that the group’s performance in the UK could enhance next year.
888 also aims to implement a more sustainable strategy in the UK, and one that is feasible in the long term within the industry. This has resulted in a shift in the revenue framework of the UK market, with the plan aiming for lower wagers, higher profit margins and casual customers. Wagers also decreased by 11.3%, but this decline was offset by an increase in net win rate from 10.8% to 12.1%.
Turning to its global operations, revenue also expanded considerably in 2023 to £517.4 million, compared to £508.3 million in 2022. While the division was impacted by changes in on-demand market compliance, it still witnessed double-digit growth in Spain and Italy.
According to the company’s earnings report, 888 may withdraw from unprofitable markets or capitalize on assets through alternative operating models, such as local collaborations. As part of the decision to leave the US market, the company also wrote off £28.1 million from its balance sheet, which was used to construct a new platform for the US.
Retail revenue also grew substantially in 2023 to £535 million. 888 attributed this to robust underlying performance, driven by improved product offerings through new investments. The operator stated this offset the impact of a 3% decrease in estate size during the year.
**A New Era Begins**
In an unexpected move, 888 is rebranding itself as Evoke plc.
The decision on whether to endorse the new name for the company will be made at the upcoming gathering of shareholders on August 8th. 888 has stated that this change will “more precisely reflect the strengths of the group’s diverse brand operating model.”
The proposal to change the company’s name was revealed during 888’s earnings discussion this morning, seen as part of a new plan to improve profitability.
This action follows the appointment of a new leader, Per Widerström, who previously held the position of CEO at Fortuna Entertainment Group, a Central and Eastern European company, for eight years. He left this role in 2022.
Before that, Widerström held leadership positions at various operators over a 17-year career. These included well-known names such as Bwin.party and Gala Coral Interactive.
“It is exciting to announce our plan to create value, our winning approach, our new financial goals, and our new brand image. Today marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the company,” Widerström said.
888’s “new strategic framework” will include “a clear vision for success and the strategy to achieve our objectives.” This will be made up of six strategic actions, which might include changing the name to Evoke.
New “Value Creation Plan”
The company also announced a new Value Creation Plan (VCP) this morning. Widerström and the company’s senior management team will implement the plan to achieve a long-term “winning strategy.”
As part of 888’s VCP, the group’s operating model has been “restructured.”
The organization currently intends to attain roughly £30 million in extra yearly cost reductions each year.
The enterprise has formulated a “clear vision of success and a plan to achieve its objectives,” and intends to unveil six strategic initiatives. These initiatives will “propel operational excellence and prepare the business for groundbreaking value generation.”
The enterprise will also adopt a streamlined market strategy, divided into two categories. The initial category is core markets (the UK, Italy, Spain, and Denmark), where it possesses domestic scale and market leadership. The second category is optimized markets, where it will boost investment to “generate robust returns while maximizing cash flow across all markets.”
In alignment with this market focus, a strategic examination of the US B2C business, initiated in the first quarter of 2024, will also contemplate potential cost reductions. 888 declared earlier this month the possibility of divesting its US B2C business. Numerically, 888 intends to achieve new medium-term targets to attain “high return on equity.” This will enable the company to target sustainable earnings growth of 5%-9% annually.
888 will also endeavor to enhance efficiency, increasing adjusted EBITDA margins by approximately 100 basis points annually. The group also aims to achieve more controlled capital allocation, with leverage below 3.5x by the end of 2026.
Present trading and CEO perspective
Although Widerström characterized the firm’s financial performance as “unsatisfactory” during the early morning earnings call, he maintains a positive outlook for the company’s future.
“I am thrilled to reveal our value creation plan, our effective strategy, our new financial objectives, and our revamped brand image,” he declared. “This day marks the commencement of an exciting new chapter for this enterprise.
“I am convinced that the group now possesses all the essential components for enduring success: a dominant position in expanding markets, substantial and escalating entry barriers, robust proprietary technology, a first-rate management team, and some of the world’s most prominent betting and gaming brands.”
The company anticipates revenue ranging from £420 million to £430 million in the initial quarter of 2024 and has established a revenue growth objective of 5%-9% for 2024. 888 also intends to decrease leverage to below 3.5 times by the conclusion of 2026. This translates to a reduction of £650 million in corporate debt. It will also necessitate an annual increase of 100 basis points in their adjusted EBITDA profit margin.
This could be a highly ambitious goal – as 888 aims to enhance revenue and profitability while simultaneously decreasing leverage. It’s noteworthy that 888 will not distribute dividends until the company’s leverage falls below 3 times. However, considering the target is to reach 3.5 times by the end of 2026, investors may have to exercise patience.
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