Sazka Group reports 12 per cent rise in GGR for Q4 2020

The Czech gaming group benefited from new income from its Casinos Austria and Stoiximan acquisitions.

The Czech Republic.- Sazka Group has reported that its gross gaming revenue rose 12 per cent year-on-year to €597.2m for the three months ending December 31. It also reported a 42 per cent increase in consolidated profit after tax to €134m.

The rise in revenue was thanks to Sazka’s acquisitions of Casinos Austria and Greece’s Stoiximan, which helped to offset the impact of Covid-19 restrictions on retail businesses in both Greece and Austria.

Sazka reported a 12 per cent increase in GGR from the Czech Republic to €96.3m. Revenue was affected by an increase in lottery taxes from 23 per cent to 35 per cent early in the year, but Sazka’s retail businesses in the Czech Republic was able to remain open throughout the quarter.

Revenue from Austria fell 24 per cent to €270m. However, €235m of that came from Casinos Austria’s Austrian Lotteries, which it brought into the group in June. 

In Greece and Cyprus, revenue fell 48 per cent year-on-year to €230.8m due to lottery outlets and gaming hall closures under Covid-19 countermeasures, but the addition of Stoiximan to the business brought in an additional €92m in GGR.

Sazka saw GGR of €2.02bn for 2020 as a whole, up 6 per cent against 2019. Profit after tax fell 28 per cent year-on-year to €224.4m, or 78 per cent to 57.9m not including the additional income from Casinos Austria and Stoiximan.

Last month, Sazka created a new corporate identity, Allwyn, for its UK operations as it competes for the next licence to run the UK National Lottery.