Earnings+More - DKNG x ESPN? Weekend Edition #67
DKNG x ESPN? Weekend Edition #67DraftKings/ESPN ‘close in’ on partnership, Catena Media update, 888Africa launches, California vote trouble +More
BREAKING:According to a report on Bloomberg overnight, DraftKings and ESPN are nearing a “large new partnership”. The news sent DraftKings’ shares flying, up 14% at one point in post-close trading. The report was understandably light on detail but would clearly resolve the issue of what ESPN owner Disney does when it comes to sports-betting. See more below. DraftKings x ESPNA partnership between the two would resolve any questions about ESPN’s plans in the sports-betting arena. Welcome to G2E week: In August, Disney CEO Bob Chapek suggested his company had been in talks with a number of parties “for some time now”. It appears those talks involved DraftKings where, it should be remembered, Disney has a 4% stake that came as part of the deal to buy 20th Century Fox in 2019. Fox had led a 2015 investment round when DraftKings was DFS-only.
🚀🚀🚀DraftKings’ post-close trading up 8.5% Scale it up: JMP said DraftKings “has the scale and the balance sheet” for a potential partnership. They noted that ESPN has 140m subscribers, reaches over 208m people and has ~20m monthly unique visitors.
** SPONSOR’S MESSAGE** GiG is a leading gaming platform and sportsbook provider for online and land-based operators with digital aspirations. We deliver a full end-to-end solution through our award-winning iGaming and sportsbook solutions. Built for regulated markets and a top-class customer experience, GiG is pioneering the multi-platform era. If you are looking to expand your operations into new, profitable markets, our strategy is the solution. Find out more at sales@gig.com. Catena Media updateThe affiliate giant says it “continues to evaluate multiple options” for the business as its strategic review continues. Stop press: Catena Media said the outcome of its strategic review would be “communicated as soon as the process has been completed”. Recall, the company said in May it was looking at its options for the business, including the potential offloading of its European arm.
888Africa launches888’s joint venture for Africa has launched a betting offering in four countries across the continent. Making a move: 888Africa, the JV between 888 and a group of online betting and gaming veterans, has announced the launch of 888bet in Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and Zambia via local licenses in each jurisdiction. 888Africa was founded earlier this year and is headed by Chris Coyne, formerly at Stars Group, and Andy Lee, ex-William Hill.
Betsson’s upbeat surpriseIssuing a trading update, Betsson said Q3 revenues would be up to 15.4% ahead YoY at €199m-€201m, while EBIT would be up to 23% ahead at €37.5m-€39m. Who needs the Netherlands? Betsson beat the rest of the sector to the punch with a surprise trading update late on Thursday that spoke about “high customer activity generally”. In particular, the company pointed to growth over the quarter in Latin America, central and eastern Europe and central Asia.
California vote troubleIndependent polling suggests Proposition 26 & 27 are both heading for election day defeat. Never mind the ballots: A poll published by the Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies suggests both the tribal retail betting proposition and the online position as put forward by the commercial operators are destined to be rejected by the voters in November. The numbers on Prop. 26: 👍Yes 31% 👎No 42% 🤔Undecided 27% The numbers on Prop. 27: 👍Yes 27% 👎No 53% 🤔Undecided 20%
Massachusetts update: The Massachusetts Gaming Commission discussed sports-betting yesterday and decided the launch of OSB in the state would have to wait until after the current football season. DraftKings hits stride in AugustLooking at the data from Michigan and Pennsylvania, analysts at Wells Fargo suggest that “for the first time” DraftKings was the most efficient operator. More bang, less buck: When looking at GGR over handle, share of GGR over promo spend and share of handle vs. promo spend in Michigan and Pennsylvania, the team at Wells Fargo noted that DraftKings has proved to be a “much more efficient” operator in August.
Activist’s LNW/SciPlay callAn activist investor has called for Light & Wonder to resolve its interest in casual games operator SciPlay. Make your own kind of music: Engine Capital, which owns 5.7% of SciPlay and a small slug of Light & Wonder, wrote an open letter to the LNW board this week calling for a resolution of LNW’s dominating 81% stake in SciPlay by either buying the rest of the shares it doesn’t own or by offloading its entire stake.
Caesars’ $3bn debt dealBeat the spread: CFO Bret Yunker said the deal with Caesars’ 16 banking partners would reduce interest expense at the same time as extending the maturity of the debt to 2028. Analysts at Deutsche Bank said the transaction “further simplifies” the company’s debt structure while providing “modest” interest expense relief.
Kambi/Barstool migration plansThe long goodbye: Kambi and Penn Entertainment have agreed the terms of their sportsbook divorce set for the last quarter of next year for online, with retail moving on early in 2024. Kambi will receive one-time fees of $12.5m for the early termination of the deal and a further $15m for transition services.
Analysts in brief
Sector watch – cryptoThe FT reported this week that Celsius founder Alex Mashinsky withdrew $10m from the crypto lender a matter of weeks before it went bankrupt. The heat is on: Mashinsky was revealed to have withdrawn the crypto in May, just ahead of the company freezing withdrawals on June 12. The company subsequently filed for bankruptcy in July with a $1.2bn hole in its balance sheet. Mashinsky resigned from Celcius at the end of September.
Enter SBF: Of course, Celsius is now the supposed subject of a bid from Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX, which has become something of a lender of last resort in the crypto space having previously provided the off ramp for crypto exchange Voyager Digital.
FCA 💔FTX: Elsewhere, FTX found itself in hot water with the UK financial regulator, which warned UK consumers not to use the exchange, saying it was not authorized to do so. The FCA previously advised in similar terms against Binance.
DatalinesFrance: Overall GGR in H1 rose 7% YoY to €5bn, driven by national lottery FDJ enjoying a 12% rise in GGR to €3.9bn and horseracing pari-mutuel operator PMU recording a 15% rise in GGR to €969m. Online operators’ GGR was down 11% to €1.1bn. Sweden: Overall GGR rose 4% in Q2 to SEK6.8bn, while OSB and iCasino GGR were up 2.5% to SEK4.2bn. Lottery and slot machine GGR was flat at SEK1.4bn. Maryland: September GGR came in at $159.3m, down 3.7% YoY but up 12.0% vs. 2019. MGM National Harbor GGR was $63.8m, down 8.2% YoY but 10.5% above 2019. NewslinesSightline Payments has announced an investment of $300m to implement cashless gaming at 250,000 slot machines across the US in collaboration with Acres Manufacturing. Meanwhile, IGT’s resort Wallet and IGTPay cashless payment systems have gone live at Station Casinos' six Las Vegas properties via the group’s STN Cash app. Everi has bought the m-commerce platform provider Venuetize, which operates in the sports, entertainment and hospitality industries. Jefferies analysts noted the deal expands Everi’s “opportunity set” beyond gaming. Spotlight Sports Group will supply sports betting and fantasy sports content as part of a US-focused partnership with the sports media site Sportskeeda. Spotlight has also launched a new Racing Post app for iOS and Android users in the UK. ID verification company Yoti and KYC provider Department of Trust have announced a new partnership enabling operators to complete frictionless affordability, responsible gambling, fraud and identity checks in one click. PointsBet has reached an agreement with 1/ST Technology for the provision of an online horseracing wagering product. BetMGM has launched NHL-branded casino games in New Jersey, Ontario, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. Star Entertainment Group has been found unsuitable to have a gaming license by the authorities in Queensland. New Jersey-licensed betting exchange Prophet Exchange will launch in Ohio in partnership with the NHL franchise Columbus Blue Jackets as part of the state’s launch of regulated sports betting in January. What we’re readingAll the nines: The Philippines lottery rustles up 433 jackpot winners. Craven: Fulham FC’s latest commercial partner Titan CFDs looks somewhat bogus. On socialCalendar
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