The Stars Group’s Aussie acquisitions boost Q2 results

Online gambling heavyweight The Stars Group (TSG) reported across the board double-digit gains in the second quarter of 2018 thanks to contributions from its recent Australian acquisitions.

On Monday, the Toronto-based TSG reported revenue rising nearly 35% to US$411.5m in the three months ending June 30, although organic growth was a more modest 15%. Adjusted earnings were up 14.8% to $168.3m but operating income tumbled 99% to just $1m as operating expenses spiked following TSG’s acquisition frenzy.

TSG’s Australian business – consisting of the former CrownBet and William Hill Australia operations, now functioning under the BetEasy umbrella – reported online betting revenue of $61.3m, gross profit of $46.8m and adjusted earnings of $13.5m, although the division reported an actual operating loss of $6.5m.

TSG’s international business reported revenue of $350.2m, of which poker accounted for $217m. International revenue was up 6.9% year-on-year, although the gain was only 3.8% in constant currency terms.