Gala Coral grows online business

Gala Coral Group said its online business has exceeded the Board’s expectations showing strong growth in active customers across all its online properties.

Key Group highlights for the quarter ended January 18, 2014 were:

–     Turnover was 12 percent ahead of last year and gross profit was GBP 13.8 million or 6 percent ahead.

–     EBITDA was GBP 60.5 million, 2 percent ahead of last year despite the adverse impact of exceptional football losses.

–     Underlying year on year growth of GBP 11.8 million or 20 percent.

–     Coral Retail’s gross profit was GBP 5.3 million or 4 percent ahead of last year.

–     Online showed strong gross profit growth, up GBP 11.1 million or 4.3 percent versus last year.

Carl Leaver, Group Chief Executive of Gala Coral Group, commented:

“The Group delivered strong underlying EBITDA (pre-exceptionals) growth in the quarter, as we continued to leverage the investments we have made over the last two years, particularly in online and in Italy.  Active customers numbers are increasing strongly across all our online websites and spend per head is exceeding our expectations.

“This clearly demonstrates that with market leading brands and technology we can achieve significant growth from this business in the years to come.”

Key Highlights of the online business include:

–     EBITDA (Pre-exceptionals) of GBP 10.3 million, up GBP 3.1 million or 43 percent.
–     Customer growth of 60 percent in Coral.co.uk, 18 percent in Eurobet.it, 18 percent in galabingo.com and 142 percent in Galacasino.com
–     Gross profit of GBP 11.1 million.
–     Marketing investment of GBP 6.3 million and a 17 percent increase in other operating costs.
–     Coral.co.uk sports stakes were GBP 55.6 million or 92 percent ahead of last year.
–     Adverse football results are estimated to have reduced gross profit by GBP 3.8 million
–     Gaming stakes in Coral.co.uk were 124 percent ahead of last year .
–     Coral.co.uk gross win was GBP 8.7 million or 146 percent ahead at GBP 14.7 million.
–     Mobile penetration in Coral.co.uk increased by 24.6 pp to 62 percent of actives and is expected to increase further following the launch of a new iPad app at the end of the month.

–     Eurobet.it total gross win was GBP 2 million, a 23 percent increase over last year.
–     Eurobet.it sports stakes were GBP 7.6 million or 28 percent ahead
–     Eurobet.it gaming stakes were GBP 64.4 million or 51 percent ahead
–     Eurobet.it mobile penetration grew, with 45% of actives accessing the site through a mobile device, helping drive an increase in sports betting market share to 9.8 percent.

–     Galabingo.com actives were 19 percent up over last year resulting in GBP 56.2 million or a 20 percent increase in stakes.
–     Galabingo.com reported a GBP 2.9 million or 15 percent increase in gross win.
–     Galabingo.com mobile penetration increased by 45 percent.

–     Galacasino.com showed a 142 percent increase in active customers driving a 165 percent increase in stakes and a GBP 4.1 million (140 percent) increase in gross win.
–     Galacasino.com mobile penetration increased to 28 percent.

–     Across the two Gala branded websites gross win totaled GBP 29.4 million
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