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Evolution

Quarterly Report Apr 25, 2019

2913_10-q_2019-04-25_4779857e-04d8-4622-82ab-9bd3a012b637.pdf

Quarterly Report

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Interim report | January–March 2019 | Evolution Gaming Group AB (publ)

First quarter of 2019 (Q1 2018)

  • Operating revenues increased by 54% to EUR 79.3 million (51.6)
  • EBITDA increased by 64% to EUR 35.9 million (22.0), corresponding to a margin of 45.3% (42.6)
  • Profit for the period amounted to EUR 28.6 million (16.5)
  • Earnings per share amounted to EUR 0.79 (0.46)

Events during the first quarter of 2019

  • Good leverage from investments made in 2018
  • Roll-out initiated of several new games including MONOPOLY Live
  • Several new customers live DraftKings (USA), Lotoquebec (Canada), Svenska Spel and ATG (Sweden)

Summary of the first quarter

Group Jan-Mar Jan-Mar Change Apr 2018- Jan-Dec Change
(EUR thousands) 2019 2018 % Mar 2019 2018 %
Operating revenues 79,297 51,594 54% 273,121 245,418 11%
EBITDA 35,918 21,959 64% 121,639 107,681 13%
EBITDA margin 45.3% 42.6% - 44.5% 43.9% -
Operating profit 30,189 17,842 69% 101,830 89,484 14%
Operating margin 38.1% 34.6% - 37.3% 36.5% -
Profit for the period 28,576 16,521 73% 95,514 83,460 14%
Profit margin 36.0% 32.0% - 35.0% 34.0% -
Earnings per share (EUR) 0.79 0.46 73% 2.66 2.32 14%
Equity per share (EUR) 5.31 4.51 18% 5.31 4.51 18%
OCF per share (EUR) 1.22 0.42 192% 3.58 2.78 29%
Average number of FTEs 4,447 3,094 44% 3,855 3,529 9%
For more information, please contact: Visit and follow Evolution:
Jacob Kaplan, CFO www.evolutiongaming.com
[email protected] www.twitter.com/IREvoLiveCasino

Evolution Gaming develops, produces, markets and licenses fully-integrated B2B Live Casino solutions to gaming operators. Since its inception in 2006, Evolution has developed into a leading B2B provider with 150+ operators among its customers. The group currently employs about 6,500 people in studios across Europe and in North America. The parent company is based in Sweden and listed on Nasdaq Stockholm with the ticker EVO. Visit www.evolutiongaming.com for more information.

CEO's comments

Evolution has been off to a strong start in 2019, both in terms of growth and profitability. Revenues in the first quarter amounted to EUR 79.3 million, corresponding to an increase of 54 percent compared to the first quarter of 2018. EBITDA amounted to EUR 35.9 million with a margin of 45.3 percent. With a favourable start to the year and with high confidence in the upcoming product launches, we currently see good conditions to finish in the upper end of the previously communicated range of 44-46 percent EBITDA margin for the 2019 full year.

An important explanation to the development is that we now can leverage from the investments made in 2018. Throughout last year, we expanded studio space as well as customer environments and the number of tables in line with the increasing demand from our customers, and we can now see how all of this pays off. It is our assessment that Live Casino as a product vertical will continue to take market shares in 2019 and why we consequently will continue to invest based on our customers' demands in our studios also going forward. A demand driver is the fact that we are broadening the Live vertical with new products that appeal to completely new end users. In that way we can address a considerably larger part of the total online casino market.

As highlighted already in the year-end report, we showcased 10 new games at ICE in London in February. This equals not only a record-amount of game launches in one single year, but also the addition of entirely new game categories. It is important to note that the new games haven't had any extensive effect on the quarterly growth, as the roll-out has just begun – it will take time before all the games are available for the end users, and it will then take time for end users to discover the games. However, already now we can establish that one of the main attractions – MONOPOLY Live – has been off to a historically strong start both in terms of player counts and gaming revenues. We are immensely proud of this launch, which we believe redefines the essence of Live Casino entertainment. The unique mix of Live Casino and RNG with augmented reality technology provides something completely new in the market. On a similar theme, we will soon launch our unique live game show Deal or No Deal Live. Both these titles prove how we to a larger extent are focusing on more entertainment for the player, and we are well under way to create a whole new product vertical in our game lobby that we refer to as Game Shows. Through this, we expand to a much broader group of end users and consolidate Evolution's position as the leading innovator in the gaming industry. That we have been given the opportunity to work with world-famous brands such as MONOPOLY and Deal or No Deal provides even more power in our efforts.

Besides developing brand-new game types, we also continue to innovate our core – the classic table games. This year we look forward to the launches of Free Bet Blackjack, which is the most popular variety of Blackjack at land-based casinos, and our new poker game Side Bet City. We will also expand into dice games with Lightning Dice, building on the success of Lightning Roulette, as well as our take on Sic Bo – Live Super Sic Bo. This means that while we, through the above-mentioned game shows, can reach new end users, we also strengthen our leading offering that appeals to traditional Live players.

The market development in the quarter has been good, not least underpinned by increasing regulation. During the quarter, we went live with customers such as DraftKings in the US, Lotoquebec in Canada, and Svenska Spel and ATG in Sweden. We can establish that the share of Live Casino increases among the operators in more or less every newly regulated or re-regulated market.

With hard and focused work and high energy throughout 2018 and in the first quarter of 2019, we have taken our product portfolio to a whole new level, broadened our own market and created a new market for the industry, which in our perspective makes the gap between ourselves and the competitors wider than ever. Our launch pipeline has never been as strong as it is now. Hence, it is my absolute opinion that we have solid opportunities to further extend the distance to the competitors and strengthen our leading position during the remainder of the year.

Martin Carlesund, CEO

Quarterly results trend

Financial performance in the first quarter of 2019

Revenues

Revenues amounted to EUR 79.3 million (51.6) in the first quarter, corresponding to an increase of 54% compared with the corresponding period in 2018. The positive revenue development mainly derives from increased commission income from existing customers and, to a certain extent, from new customers. Demand for Live Casino games was generally high over the quarter and the number of bet spots from end users amounted to 5.1 billion (3.1). Revenues from dedicated tables and environments also contributed to the increase as a result of additional customers launching or extending their customised Live Casino environments.

Expenses

Operating expenses amounted to EUR 49.1 million (33.8). Expenses were mainly driven by higher costs for personnel, connected to the launch of new tables in the company's studios. The strong expansion has also increased other operating expenses compared with preceding quarters.

Profitability

Operating profit amounted to EUR 30.2 million (17.8), corresponding to an increase of 69 percent. The operating margin was 38.1 percent (34.6). The EBITDA margin was 45.3 percent (42.6). The EBITDA margin has to some extent been affected by the new lease standard IFRS 16, which is reported in note 4.

Net financial items only had a marginal impact on profits and related mostly to the interest expense on loans for the studio property in Riga. The Group's effective tax rate for the quarter amounted to 5.2 percent (7.2). The tax rate is influenced by the countries in which earnings are generated, which may vary between reported periods. Profit for the period amounted to EUR 28.6 million (16.5). Earnings per share before dilution were EUR 0.79 (0.46).

Investments

Investments in intangible assets amounted to EUR 20.2 million (2.9) during the quarter and were mainly attributable to goodwill, customer agreements and brand connected to the acquisition of Ezugi.

Investments also comprised development of new games and technical improvements of the platform, such as new functionality, as well as exclusive content rights which were previously reported as financial assets.

Investments in property, plant and equipment amounted to EUR 4.7 million (6.5) and comprised new studio space, new gaming tables, servers and other computer equipment to meet new technical requirements and maintain capacity and performance in connection with new platform launches.

Cash and cash equivalents, financing and financial position

Cash flow from operating activities amounted to EUR 44.0 million (15.1) during the quarter. Cash flow from investing activities was negative in the amount of EUR 25.0 million (negative 12.1). Cash flow from financing activities was negative in the amount of EUR 0.4 million (negative 0.2). Cash and cash equivalents amounted to EUR 103.7 million (52.1) at the end of the quarter.

Market development

Live Casino market

In Europe, Live Casino has grown strongly in recent years and is expected to continue to be among the fastest-growing gaming segments in the coming years. Evolution's growth target is to grow faster than the total European Live Casino market. Market growth is influenced by several underlying factors, such as technological advances with, among other things, improved hardware and increased bandwidth, increased use of mobile devices, the migration of land-based casinos to online environments and market regulations. To a large extent, growth is also driven by Live Casino having grown in importance for most gaming operators, who consequently elect to expose and market their Live offerings to customers more extensively than before.

As a B2B supplier, Evolution has customer relationships to the gaming operators, who in turn own the relationships with the end users. Generally, the gaming operators are licensed in a limited number of jurisdictions while operating in a global market and allowing play from various geographic areas. The table below shows the geographic markets from which end-users originate, and the share of mobile play, based on the operators' gross gaming revenues (GGR) via Evolution's platform.

Group Q1/19 Q4/18 Q3/18 Q2/18 Q1/18
Nordics 9
%
9
%
9
%
9
%
9
%
United Kingdom 13% 14% 14% 16% 17%
Rest of Europe 49% 51% 49% 50% 52%
Rest of World 29% 26% 28% 25% 22%
Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
Regulated markets 34% 30% 29% 31% 33%
Mobile 68% 64% 60% 58% 59%

End user data based on generated GGR for the gaming operators via Evolution's platform

Other

Parent Company

The Parent Company is a holding company. Operating revenues for the first quarter of 2019 amounted to EUR 1.4 million (1.6) and expenses to EUR 1.4 million (1.5). Operating profit amounted to EUR 0.1 million (0.1). Profit for the period amounted to EUR 0 million (0.1). The Parent Company's cash and cash equivalents amounted to EUR 0.3 million (0.9) at the end of the period and equity amounted to EUR 275.5 million (232.2). No significant investments were made in intangible or tangible assets.

Employees

As of 31 March 2019, Evolution had 6,497 employees (4,496), corresponding to 4,671 (3,243) full-time positions. The average number of full-time equivalents for the quarter was 4,447 (3,094).

Significant risks and uncertainties

Evolution's operations are exposed to certain risks that could have a varying impact on earnings or financial position. These can be divided into industry, operational, and financial risks. When assessing the Group's future development, it is important to take into account the risk factors, alongside any opportunities for profit growth.

The development of laws and regulations relating to the supply of gaming services that Evolution provides is a central risk factor for the Group's future earnings. Since most of Evolution's licensees are active in Europe, the legal situation in the EU is of particular interest and is continuously monitored and managed by the Group. Despite this, there remains a risk that, in the event of legislation being interpreted in an unfavourable or unanticipated way, Evolution's conditions for growth, profitability, and the games that may be supplied could be changed. Likewise, a favourable interpretation could have a positive impact on the Group.

For further information about Evolution's risk exposure and handling, please see the Group's Annual Report for 2018, which is available on the company's website.

2019 Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting will be held on 26 April 2019 at 14:00 CET at Strandvägen 7A in Stockholm, Sweden.

Proposal on dividend, buy-back programme and share split

The Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting resolve to transfer EUR 43.2 million (32.4) to shareholders, corresponding to EUR 1.20 per share (0.90) and 52 percent (52) of net profit respectively. Evolution has adopted a dividend policy according to which, 50 percent of the company's consolidated net profit is to be distributed over time, with a certain degree of flexibility in terms of the proportion distributed in dividends.

The Board of Directors has also proposed to the Annual General Meeting in April 2019 to authorise the Board to repurchase own shares corresponding to a maximum of 10 percent of all outstanding shares during the period up until the 2020 Annual General Meeting.

With the purpose to facilitate the trade in the company's shares at Nasdaq Stockholm, the Board of Directors has moreover proposed that the Annual General Meeting resolves on a division of the company's shares (share split). If the Annual General Meeting accepts the proposal, each existing share in the company will be divided into five shares (5:1). After the share split is completed, the number of shares in the company will increase from 35,970,377 shares to 179,851,885 shares. The proposed share split will result in a change of the quota value of the share from EUR 0.015 to EUR 0.003. The Board of Directors will determine the record day for the share split.

Upcoming report dates

Interim report January-June 2019 19 July 2019 Interim report January-September 2019 24 October 2019 Year-end report 2019 February 2020

Review

This interim report has not been reviewed by the company's auditors.

Condensed consolidated income statements

Group
(EUR thousands)
Jan-Mar
2019
Jan-Mar
2018
Apr 2018-
Mar 2019
Jan-Dec
2018
Revenues 79,287 51,571 273,066 245,350
Other revenues 10 23 55 68
Total operating revenues 79,297 51,594 273,121 245,418
Personnel expenses -29,035 -20,851 -105,858 -97,674
Depreciation, amortisation and impairments -5,729 -4,117 -19,809 -18,197
Other operating expenses -14,344 -8,783 -45,624 -40,063
Total operating expenses -49,108 -33,751 -171,291 -155,934
Operating profit 30,189 17,842 101,830 89,484
Financial items -45 -43 -160 -158
Profit before tax 30,144 17,799 101,670 89,326
Tax on profit for the period -1,568 -1,278 -6,156 -5,866
Profit for the period 28,576 16,521 95,514 83,460
Of which attributable to:
Shareholders of the Parent Company 28,576 16,521 95,514 83,460
Average number of shares before dilution 35,970,377 35,970,377 35,970,377 35,970,377
Earnings per share before dilution (EUR) 0.79 0.46 2.66 2.32
Average number of shares after dilution 36,713,052 36,337,046 36,619,051 36,525,049
Earnings per share after dilution (EUR) 0.78 0.45 2.61 2.29
Operating margin 38.1% 34.6% 37.3% 36.5%
Effective tax rate 5.2% 7.2% 6.1% 6.6%

The income statements have been affected by the new lease standard IFRS 16, which is reported in note 4.

Condensed comprehensive income statement

Group Jan-Mar Jan-Mar Apr 2018- Jan-Dec
(EUR thousands) 2019 2018 Mar 2019 2018
Profit for the period 28,576 16,521 95,514 83,460
Other comprehensive income
Items that may be reclassified to profit
Exchange differences arising from the translation of foreign
operations 112 64 -64 -63
Other comprehensive income, net after tax 122 64 -64 -63
Total comprehensive income for the period 28,698 16,585 95,450 83,397

Consolidated balance sheets

Group (EUR thousands) 31/03/2019 31/03/2018 31/12/2018
Assets
Intangible assets 23,826 16,979 21,344
Goodwill 14,937 - -
Buildings 12,111 12,335 12,167
Right of use assets 15,441 - -
Property, plant and equipment 29,233 21,993 27,452
Other long-term receivables 1,030 5,105 952
Deferred tax assets 176 74 180
Total non-current assets 96,754 56,486 62,095
Accounts receivable 47,916 44,040 47,622
Other receivables 38,744 20,382 42,771
Prepaid expenses and accrued income 4,143 3,500 3,218
Cash and cash equivalents 103,734 52,076 84,951
Total current assets 194,537 119,999 178,562
TOTAL ASSETS 291,291 176,484 240,657
Equity and liabilities
Share capital 540 540 540
Other capital contributed 5,727 4,698 5,867
Reserves 4 -22 -108
Retained earnings including profit for the period 184,666 121,271 155,971
Total equity 190,937 126,486 162,270
Deferred tax liability 150 569 -
Non-current lease liabilities 12,600 - -
Long-term debt to credit institutions 5,382 6,466 5,619
Total long-term liabilities 18,132 7,036 5,619
Accounts payable 3,512 3,351 3,190
Short-term debt to credit institutions 950 950 950
Currrent tax liabilities 42,881 23,387 49,939
Other current liabilities 19,742 8,733 11,521
Current lease liabilities 2,841 - -
Accrued expenses and prepaid income 12,296 6,542 7,168
Total current liabilities 82,222 42,962 72,768
TOTAL EQUITY AND LIABILITIES 291,291 176,484 240,657

Intangible assets comprise Game software EUR 15,043 thousand (16,506 as of 31/3/2018 and 15,590 as of 31/12/2018), Licenses and patents EUR 5,782 thousand (473; 5,754), Customer agreements EUR 2,755 thousand (0;0) and Trademark EUR 246 thousand (0; 0).

The balance sheets have been affected by the new lease standard IFRS 16, as reflected by the items Right of use assets, Non-current lease liabilities and Current lease liabilities above.

Consolidated changes in equity

Group, 2018 Share Other capital Retained Total
(EUR thousands) Capital contributed Reserves earnings equity
Opening equity 01/01/2018 540 4,698 -45 104,688 109,881
Dividend payout 02/05/2018 - - - -32,373 -32,373
Warrants - 1,169 - 195 1,364
Total comprehensive income for Jan-Mar - - 64 16,522 16,586
Total comprehensive income for Apr-Jun - - -38 20,161 20,123
Total comprehensive income for Jul-Sep - - -65 21,242 21,177
Total comprehensive income for Oct-Dec - - -24 25,535 25,511
Closing equity 31/12/2018 540 5,867 -108 155,971 162,269
Group, 2019 Share Other capital Retained Total
(EUR thousands) Capital contributed Reserves earnings equity
Opening equity 01/01/2019 540 5,867 -108 155,971 162,269
Warrants - -140 - 110 -30
Total comprehensive income for Jan-Mar - - 122 28,576 28,698
Closing equity 31/3/2019 540 5,727 14 184,657 190,937

Consolidated statement of cash flows

Group Jan-Mar Jan-Mar Jan-Dec
(EUR thousands) 2019 2018 2018
Operating profit 30,188 17,842 89,484
Adjustment for items not included in cash flows:
Depreciation, amortisation and impairments 5,729 4,117 18,197
Other 110 -20 561
Interest received 0 0 13
Interest paid -45 -43 -171
Tax paid -3,472 -1,578 -2,912
Cash flows from operating activities before changes in working 32,510 20,318 105,172
capital
Increase / Decrease in Accounts receivables -294 -4,548 -8,129
Increase / Decrease in Accounts payables 321 -600 -761
Increase / Decrease in other working capital 11,456 -107 3,754
Cash flows from operating activites 43,993 15,063 100,036
Acquisition of intangible assets -20,164 -2,888 -15,262
Acquisition of property, plant and equipment -4,710 -6,505 -17,868
Increase / Decrease in other financial assets -78 -2,670 1,480
Cash flows from investing activities -24,952 -12,063 -31,650
Repayment of debt to credit institutions -237 -227 -1,074
Warrant premiums -140 - 803
Dividend - - -32,373
Cash flows from financing activities -377 -227 -32,644
Cash flow for the period 18,664 2,774 35,742
Cash and cash equivalents at start of period 84,951 49,272 49,272
Cash flow for the period 18,664 2,774 35,742
Exchange rate differences 119 30 -63
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period 103,734 52,076 84,951

The company presents certain financial measures in the interim report that are not defined under IFRS. The company believes that these measures provide useful supplemental information to investors and the company's management as they permit the evaluation of the company's financial performance and position. Since not all companies calculate financial measures in the same way, these are not always comparable to the measures used by other companies. Consequently, these financial measures should not be seen as a substitute for measures defined under IFRS. The tables below include measurements that are not defined in accordance with IFRS, unless otherwise stated. For definitions and purposes, see also the last page of the report.

Consolidated key ratios

Group
(EUR thousands)
Jan-Mar
2019
Jan-Mar
2018
Apr 2018-
Mar 2019
Jan-Dec
2018
Operating revenues (IFRS) 79,297 51,594 273,121 245,418
EBITDA margin 45.3% 42.6% 44.5% 43.9%
Operating margin 38.1% 34.6% 37.3% 36.5%
Profit margin 36.0% 32.0% 35.0% 34.0%
Equity/assets ratio 65.5% 71.7% 65.5% 67.4%
Cash and cash equivalents 103,734 52,076 103,734 84,951
Average number of full-time employees 4,447 3,094 3,855 3,529
Full-time employees at end of period 4,671 3,243 4,671 4,319
Earnings per share (EUR) (IFRS) 0.79 0.46 2.66 2.32
Equity per share (EUR) 5.31 3.52 5.31 4.51
Operating cash flow per share (EUR) 1.22 0.42 3.58 2.78
Average number of outstanding shares 35,970,377 35,970,377 35,970,377 35,970,377
Number of outstanding shares 35,970,377 35,970,377 35,970,377 35,970,377

Consolidated key ratios by quarter

Group (EUR thousands) Q1/19 Q4/18 Q3/18 Q2/18 Q1/18 Q4/17 Q3/17 Q2/17
Operating revenues (IFRS) 79,297 70,226 64,346 59,252 51,594 50,718 45,690 42,290
EBITDA 35,918 31,568 27,992 26,168 21,959 22,599 21,803 19,248
EBITDA margin 45.3% 45.0% 43.5% 44.2% 42.6% 44.6% 47.7% 45.5%
Operating profit 30,189 26,734 23,225 21,688 17,842 18,806 18,226 15,935
Operating margin 38.1% 38.1% 36.1% 36.6% 34.6% 37.1% 39.9% 37.7%
Revenue growth vs prior year 53.7% 38.5% 40.8% 40.1% 30.0% 47.8% 56.4% 55.8%
Revenue growth vs prior quarter 12.9% 9.1% 8.6% 14.8% 1.7% 11.0% 8.0% 6.6%
Cash and cash equivalents 103,734 84,951 63,548 37,163 52,076 49,272 38,798 28,347

Reconciliation of selected key ratios not defined in accordance with IFRS

Group Jan-Mar Jan-Mar Apr 2018- Jan-Dec
(EUR thousands) 2019 2018 Mar 2019 2018
Operating margin
Profit before tax 30,144 17,799 101,670 89,326
Excluding net financial items 45 44 160 158
Operating profit (EBIT) 30,189 17,843 101,830 89,484
Divided by Total operating revenues 79,297 51,594 273,121 245,418
Operating (EBIT) margin 38.1% 34.6% 37.3% 36.5%
EBITDA and EBITDA margin
Profit before tax 30,144 17,799 101,670 89,326
Net financial items 45 44 160 158
Depreciation/amortisation 5,729 4,117 19,809 18,197
EBITDA 35,918 21,960 121,639 107,681
Divided by Total operating revenues 79,297 51,594 273,121 245,418
EBITDA margin 45.3% 42.6% 44.5% 43.9%
Profit margin
Profit for the period 28,576 16,521 95,514 83,460
Divided by Total operating revenues 79,297 51,594 273,121 245,418
Profit margin 36.0% 32.0% 35.0% 34.0%
Equity/Assets ratio
Total equity 190,937 126,486 190,937 162,270
Divided by Total assets 291,291 176,484 291,291 240,657
Equity/Assets ratio 65.5% 71.7% 65.5% 67.4%

EBITDA has been affected by the new lease standard IFRS 16, which is reported in note 4.

Condensed Parent Company income statements and other comprehensive income

Parent company Jan-Mar Jan-Mar Apr 2018- Jan-Dec
(EUR thousands) 2019 2018 Mar 2019 2018
Operating revenues 1,437 1,597 6,035 6,195
Other external expenses -1,379 -1,494 -5,881 -5,996
Operating profit 58 103 154 199
Dividend from group companies - - 75,000 75,000
Financial items 0 0 104 104
Profit before taxes 58 103 75,258 75,303
Tax on profit for the period -108 -23 -600 -515
Result for the period -50 80 74,658 74,788
Parent company
(EUR thousands)
Jan-Mar
2019
Jan-Mar
2018
Apr 2018-
Mar 2019
Jan-Dec
2018
Profit for the period -50 80 74,658 74,788
Other comprehensive income - - - -
Other comprehensive income, net after tax - - - -
Total comprehensive income for the period -50 80 74,658 74,788

Condensed Parent Company balance sheets

Parent company (EUR thousands) 31/03/2019 31/03/2018 31/12/2018
Assets
Intangible assets 490 119 438
Property, plant and equipment 34 78 40
Participating interest in Group companies 206,000 206,000 206,000
Other financial assets 33 32 33
Deferred tax receivables - 74 -
Total non-current assets 206,557 206,303 206,511
Receivables from Group companies 69,414 25,420 69,539
Other current receivables 298 282 272
Prepaid expenses and accrued income 126 279 76
Cash and cash equivalents 342 866 504
Total current assets 70,180 26,846 70,391
TOTAL ASSETS 276,737 233,150 276,902
Equity and liabilities
Share capital 540 540 540
Retained earnings including profit for the period 274,989 231,698 275,179
Total equity 275,529 232,237 275,719
Accounts payable - 234 160
Currrent tax liabilities 583 - 479
Other current liabilities 158 193 158
Accrued expenses and prepaid revenues 467 485 386
Total current liabilities 1,208 913 1,183
TOTAL EQUITY AND LIABILITIES 276,737 233,150 276,902

Notes to the financial statements

Note 1. Accounting policies

Evolution prepares its financial statements in accordance with the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as approved by the European Union. The Group's interim report has been prepared in accordance with IAS 34, Interim Financial Reporting. The Parent Company uses the same accounting principles as the Group, with the addition of the Swedish Financial Reporting Board's recommendation RFR 2, Accounting for Legal Entities.

Amounts are expressed in thousands of Euro (EUR) unless otherwise indicated. Amounts or figures in parentheses indicate comparative figures for the corresponding period last year. The accounting policies are unchanged from the 2018 annual report with the exception of den new lease standard IFRS 16 that has replaced IAS 17 and is applied from 1 January 2019. Evolution has chosen a simplified retrospective method upon transition to IFRS 16, which means that amounts for the comparative year 2018 have not been re-measured. The IFRS 16 effect on the balance sheets have been reported directly in the balance sheets on page 7. The effect on the income statements are reported in note 4.

Note 2. Events following the balance sheet date

No significant events have occurred after the end of the reporting period.

Note 3. Incentive programmes

The Annual General Meeting on 20 April 2018 resolved to issue a maximum of 617,702 warrants. Each warrant entitles the holder to subscribe for one new share in the company for SEK 705.30 during the period from the day after the publication of the interim report for the second quarter of 2021 until the date that follows 30 calendar days after the publication of the interim report for the second quarter 2021 (however not later than on 30 September 2021).

The company's subsidiary, Evolution Malta Ltd. has subscribed for 617,702 warrants, and Evolution Malta Ltd has, in turn, transferred 376,006 of the warrants to a number of key individuals in the company's management and organisation. For warrants acquired at market value, the price (option premium) has been determined using the Black & Scholes valuation model, with the valuation being carried out by EY.

If all 376,006 warrants 2018/2021 are exercised for subscription of 376,006 shares, the dilution effect will be approximately 1.0 percent. Upon full exercise of these 376,006 warrants and the 366,669 warrants 2016/2019, which have been transferred to a number of key employees in the group in accordance with a resolution at the 2016 Annual General Meeting (i.e. 742,675 warrants in total), the dilution effect will be approximately 2.0 percent.

Note 4. IFRS 16 effects in the financial reports

Amounts recognised in the income statement

The Income statement shows the following amounts related to leasing:

Group (EUR thousands) Actual
Jan-Mar 2019
Actual
Jan-Mar 2018
Operating expenses
Depreciations, right of use assets1) -657 -
Other costs 661 -
Financial expenses in respect of right of use assets 2) -4 -
Profit for the period 0 -

1) Costs attributable to lease agreements moved from other costs to depreciations

2) Interest expenses included in Financial Items

Key ratios

Actual Actual
Group (%) Jan-Mar 2019 Jan-Mar 2018
EBITDA margin including IFRS 16 45.3% -
EBITDA margin excluding IFRS 16 44.5% -

Note 5. Acquisition of Ezugi

On 9 January 2019, Evolution acquired the business of live dealer gaming provider Ezugi (consisting of five legal entities) for an initial consideration of USD 12 million and possible additional consideration of a maximum of USD 6 million. The acquisition is expected to add 2-4% to 2019 revenues and be slightly accretive to Evolution earnings per share during 2019. The acquisition strengthens Evolution's position in existing markets, primarily the US, and adds further studio capacity as well as resources in product development.

The acquisition is fully paid in cash. The goodwill item is not tax deductible and is expected to be attributable to expected profitability, employee know-how and expected synergy effects. The financial impact of this transaction is shown below. Acquisition analysis of fair value adjustment of product rights, short-term receivables and short-term liabilities is preliminary up to twelve months after acquisition date.

Fair value
Group (EUR thousands) reported in the group
Trademark 257
Customer agreements 2,875
Tangible fixed assets 975
Other long-term receivables 75
Current receivables 1,484
Liquid funds 186
Deferred tax liabiliy -157
Long-term liabilities -228
Current liabilities -3,991
Net identifiable assets and liabilities 1,475
Group Goodwill 14,937
Consolidated acquisition value/price 16,412

Acquisition cost amounted to EUR 0.5 million, included in other operating expenses in Q4 2018 and Q1 2019.

Note 6. Seasonality

Evolution's operations are, to a certain extent, influenced by seasonal patterns in end-user activity. The Group's customers generally notice increased end-user activity and an increased volume of operations in the fourth quarter of each year, which is consistent with the Group's experience of increased Live Casino traffic and commission income earned in the fourth quarter.

Assurance

The Board of Directors and CEO affirm that this interim report provides an accurate overview of the operations, financial position and performance of the Parent Company and the Group, and describes the significant risks and uncertainties faced by the Parent Company and the companies in the Group.

Stockholm, 25 April 2019

Jens von Bahr Joel Citron Jonas Engwall Cecilia Lager
Chairman of the Board Board Member Board Member Board Member
Ian Livingstone Fredrik Österberg Martin Carlesund
Board Member Board Member CEO

For further information, please contact CFO Jacob Kaplan, +46 708 62 33 94, [email protected].

Evolution Gaming Group AB (publ) e-mail: [email protected]
Hamngatan 11 Website: www.evolutiongaming.com
SE-111 47 Stockholm, Sweden Corporate ID number: 556994-5792

Presentation for investors, analysts and the media

CEO Martin Carlesund and CFO Jacob Kaplan will present the report and answer questions on Thursday, 25 April 2019 at 09:00 a.m. CET via a telephone conference. The presentation will be in English and can also be followed online. Number for participation by telephone: +46 8 5055 8355 / +44 3333 009 267. Follow the presentation at https://tv.streamfabriken.com/evolution-gaming-group-q1-2019.

This information is such that Evolution Gaming Group AB (publ) is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, under the agency of the contact person set out above, on 25 April 2019, at 7.30 am CET.

Definitions of key ratios not defined in accordance with IFRS

Key ratios
Operating profit
Definition
Profit before tax excluding net
Purpose
This key ratio is used by management to
Operating margin financial items.
Operating profit in relation to
operating revenues.
monitor the earnings trend in the Group.
This key ratio is used by management to
monitor the earnings trend in the Group.
EBITDA Operating profit less depreciation. This key ratio is used by management to
monitor the earnings trend in the Group.
EBITDA margin Operating profit excluding
depreciation and amortisation in
relation to operating revenues.
This key ratio is used by management to
monitor the earnings trend in the Group.
Profit margin Profit for the period in relation to
operating revenues.
This key ratio is used by management to
monitor the earnings trend in the Group.
Equity per share Shareholders' equity divided by the
number of shares outstanding at the
end of the period.
This key ratio is used by management to
monitor the earnings trend in the Group.
Operational cash flow
per share
Cash flow from operating activities in
relation to the average number of
shares outstanding during the period.
This key ratio is used by management to
monitor the cash flow trend in the Group.
Average number of
shares outstanding
The average number of shares
outstanding during the period.
Used to calculate key ratios in relation to the
number of shares during the period.
Number of shares
outstanding
Number of shares outstanding at the
end of the period.
Used to calculate key ratios in relation to the
number of shares at the end of the period.
Equity/assets ratio Equity at the end of period in relation
to total assets at the end of period.
This key ratio indicated the Group's long
term payment capacity.
Cash and cash
equivalents
Cash and bank assets. Used by management to monitor the Group's
short-term payment capacity.
Revenue growth
compared with the
previous year
Operating revenues for the period
divided by operating revenues in the
same period last year.
This key ratio is used by management to
monitor the Group's revenue growth.
Revenue growth
compared with the
preceding quarter
Operating revenues for the period
divided by operating revenues for the
preceding quarter.
This key ratio is used by management to
monitor the Group's revenue growth.

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