“Contributions from our GTECH Lottery and SPIELO International segments combined with a stabilizing Italian market produced another positive quarter. Overall, the Group is on track to achieve its 2012 financial targets. Due to our progress toward de-leveraging, our Net Financial Position is within the end-of-year guidance range. Cash flow generation remains very healthy,” said Alberto Fornaro, CFO of Lottomatica Group. “When measured at the 1.35 USD/EUR guidance rate, we expect 2012 EBITDA to be in the upper end of the €1,000 – €1,020 million range, or slightly above when measured at current exchange rates.”
THIRD-QUARTER CONSOLIDATED RESULTS - for the third quarter ended september 30, 2012, revenues totaled €740.2 million, compared to €740.9 million in the third quarter of 2011. Strong revenue growth in the GTECH Lottery and SPIELO International segments was offset by lower revenues in the Italian Operations segment resulting from a lower incidence of Lotto late number wagers, unusually high sports betting payouts, and the anticipated increase in video lottery terminal (VLT) taxation.
EBITDA increased 3.8% in the third quarter of 2012 to €246.0 million versus €237.0 million in the same period last year. At constant currency, EBITDA was €240.1 million.
Operating Income was €134.5 million in the third quarter, compared to €129.4 million in the third quarter of last year, up 3.9%.
Interest expense was down 9.3% to €38.2 million in the third quarter of 2012 versus the same period last year, primarily due to lower average debt balances.
Net income attributable to the parent was €48.9 million in the third quarter of 2012 versus €58.5 million in the third quarter last year, when a €29.7 million non-cash foreign exchange gain was recorded.
Diluted Earnings-Per-Share (EPS) was €0.28, compared to €0.34 in the same period last year. When adjusted for purchase-price accounting and foreign exchange impact, net of tax, pro forma EPS was €0.35, up from €0.29 in the 2011 third quarter.
At September 30, 2012, Consolidated Shareholders’ Equity totaled €2.64 billion. Lottomatica Group had a Net Financial Position (NFP) of €2.62 billion, compared to €2.74 billion as of December 31, 2011.
ITALIAN OPERATIONS - Revenues from Italian operations were €406.5 million, compared to €458.5 million in the third quarter of 2011. Despite a challenging market environment in Italy, the overall business performance was good. A number of events impacted top line performance including lower late number Lotto wagers, higher sports betting payouts, and higher taxation on VLTs.
While underlying Lotto wagers, including 10eLotto, were stable, overall Lotto wagers for the quarter were €1.47 billion compared to €1.75 billion last year. Lotto late number wagers in the third quarter of 2012 were €121.9 million, compared to €401.1 million in the third quarter of 2011. In the third quarter of 2011, a higher incidence of late numbers occurred which did not recur in the third quarter of 2012.
Instant-ticket wagers were in line with expectations at approximately €2.24 billion in the quarter, compared to €2.39 billion in the same period last year. Approximately 480 million Scratch & Win tickets were sold in the quarter, with an average price point of €4.65. Lottomatica continues to optimize its retail network as well as diversify its instant-ticket games portfolio. The Company introduced a new €10 and €5 ticket in September and October, respectively. Early performance of both games is encouraging.
Revenues from Sports Betting in Italy were €15.0 million due to unusually high sports betting payouts, partially offset by an 11.7% increase in wagers. The approximate 90% payout in the third quarter was the result of several unfavorable soccer match outcomes in September.
Revenues from Machine Gaming were €156.2 million versus €167.1 million last year. Revenues were impacted by the 4% gaming tax on VLTs, up from 2% last year, resulting in a €35 million tax impact in the 2012 third quarter. Machine gaming wagers grew 3.0% in the third quarter to €2.87 billion from €2.79 billion in the same period last year. At September 30, 2012, approximately 64,100 AWP machines and 10,600 VLTs were installed.
Interactive wagers totaled €485.4 million, compared to €533.0 million in the third quarter of 2011 when there was an initial launch of new games including Poker Cash and Casino games.
GTECH LOTTERY - GTECH Lottery revenue for the third quarter of 2012 was up 15.4% to €261.1 million compared to €226.3 million last year. On a constant currency basis, revenues grew by 5.6%. GTECH Lottery U.S. same store service revenue grew 7.4% in the third quarter of 2012 versus the same period last year. GTECH benefited from continued growth of instant-ticket sales which increased 11% year-over-year, driven by instant-ticket sales in California, Illinois, and Texas. International Lottery same store service revenue grew 7.7% compared to the third quarter of last year due to strong performance in Colombia and the U.K., as well as the positive sales impact from GTECH’s customer in the Czech Republic.
During the quarter, GTECH announced and/or signed contract extensions with customers in South Dakota and Arizona, as well as signed new contracts with lotteries in New Zealand, Argentina, and Lithuania.
Shortly following the close of the third quarter, GTECH signed a 15-year Integrated Services agreement with the Hoosier Lottery in Indiana.
SPIELO INTERNATIONAL - Third-quarter revenues for SPIELO International were up 25.6% to €82.7 million when compared to the same period last year, primarily due to higher product sales in Canada and Sweden, as well as favorable foreign exchange.
During the quarter, SPIELO International increased its market share in Canada by finalizing VLT and/or central system replacement agreements with Western Canada Lottery Corporation (Saskatchewan), Manitoba Lotteries, and Atlantic Lottery Corporation. To date, SPIELO International has secured all five central system awards and all four VLT awards in Canada. A fifth VLT award is in its final approval stage.