US M&A and Germany Dominate Finance in Wagers.com Earnings+More’s Q2 Review

Scott Longley and Jake Pollard of Wagers.com Earnings+More discuss the second quarter results in the finance industry, specifically focusing on the sports betting and igaming market in the US. The rapid growth and increasing corporate activity in this market highlight the importance of size in achieving success. Market leader Flutter’s dominance, with FanDuel controlling 45% of the US sports betting market, has spurred other companies to pursue expansion. Penn National Gaming’s $2bn acquisition of Score Media & Gaming and DraftKings’ $1.56bn buyout of Golden Nugget Online Gaming demonstrate these companies’ efforts to strengthen their position in the US market. The upcoming NFL season is expected to be highly competitive, with large casino operators planning significant investments to gain or maintain market share. Caesars Entertainment stands out by allocating up to $1bn for marketing and advertising its new Caesars Sportsbook app, targeting its database of 60 million customers. Despite uncertainties related to the Delta variant, the industry remains optimistic about occupancy rates and revenue growth. In Europe, however, lockdown restrictions impacted the land-based gaming sector, and the full effects of the new online regulatory regime in Germany are yet to be seen. LeoVegas experienced an 81% decline in revenues in Germany, while Entain’s sports betting revenues in the country increased by 53%, offsetting a decline in gaming revenues. Entain also announced the acquisition of esports-betting operator Unikrn as part of its strategy to expand into different areas of interactive entertainment.