EBITDA was up by 10 per cent for the three months ending September 30.

Czech Republic.- Allwyn Entertainment has reported its results for Q3, with revenue up 11 per cent year-on-year to €958.6m. EBITDA was up by 10 per cent at €319.9m.

The lottery giant, which has recently agreed to buy Camelot UK, said that revenue and EBITDA had grown organically. CEO Robert Chvatal said this demonstrated “the resilience of demand for our products and of our business model”. He noted that Allwyn’s online business and Austrian casino business had performed especially well.

Online performance was strong in the Czech Republic, in particular, with record quarterly sales up 7 per cent year-on-year.

Allwyn said that inflation and rising energy prices had a “limited impact” on its costs and that it was optimistic that the impact of current macro-economic and political risks would also be relatively slight.

It said: “Current trends are in line with the resilience of our revenues during previous periods of weaker general consumer sentiment – for example, the early period of the Covid-19 epidemic, the Greek crisis and the global financial crisis – when demand for our products remained resilient, especially in comparison with other consumer sectors.”

As for Allwyn’s acquisition of Camelot UK, Chvatal said: “Common ownership of the operators of both the third and fourth licences will help ensure the successful delivery of the National Lottery both in 2023 and over the next decade. 

“Allwyn is committed to making the National Lottery better, raising more for good causes and improving player protection. This deal strengthens the transition process and helps support Allwyn in achieving its vision for the National Lottery.”

Allwyn has also upped its stake in the Greek gaming operator OPAP to 49.8 per cent.

Camelot reveals record half-year National Lottery sales

Camelot UK has reported its highest half-year sales in its almost 30 years at the helm of the UK National Lottery. The operator reported first-half sales of £4.1bn, up 2.6 per cent year-on-year. 

It said that a 13 per cent increase in online sales had offset a decline in in-store ticket and scratchcard demand due to”difficult” trading on the high street. Mobile sales reached a record £1.4bn as players signed up for a series of big EuroMillions rollover draws in the spring and summer. More than 15,000 players a minute signed into the National Lottery app and website ahead of the £184m jackpot draw in May.