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From strength to strength, Ivo Doroteia, CEO of Sportingtech, looks at the growing prominence of Portugal’s betting market

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Ivo Doroteia, CEO of Sportingtech, looks at the growing prominence of Portugal’s betting market and the country’s prospects for becoming an established presence in Europe

The Portuguese market is one that has often operated in the shadow of its neighbor, Spain. With good reason: a much larger country, it possesses a player base that dwarfs Portugal’s and has always historically been further ahead in terms of regulating online gambling.

Prospects for a narrowing of the gap between the two came following the introduction of a regulated online framework in 2015, though optimism for positive change in Portugal was initially met with skepticism in equal measure. The naysayers were inevitably proved wrong; today, market growth is clear to see, with several high-profile operators performing well in the region, even in comparison to other, much larger European countries.

From my perspective, this was expected – Portugal’s land-based industry has always been robust, with bricks-and-mortar casinos consistently displaying good numbers for the likes of lottery and bingo, and the renaissance of sports betting is just another string to the market’s bow.

These past 18 months have seen a dramatic shift in fortunes for the Portuguese market – figures from Q4 2020 onwards show strong growth for gambling in the country, with sports betting leading the charge. The growth can be attributed to a number of factors, including Covid-induced lockdowns benefiting the shift from land-based to online and a changing of fiscal policies in 2020 removing the higher rates of tax for betting and gaming.

Whatever the cause, it is clear today that the presence of top-tier industry players now makes Portugal an extremely attractive proposition indeed, and no one is better positioned to take advantage of this fact than Sportingtech, with its extensive knowledge of the market and varied range of leading sports betting platforms.

Portugal is a country with sports at its heart, and now it has an effective means to bet on it. Questions have been raised about the long-term viability of this growth, some suggesting that a post-lockdown world will revert to type, with land-based betting once again taking precedent.

I disagree with this sentiment – the ingredients for sustained success are very much present in Portugal and I see no reason to suggest that this market will be anything other than a bastion for sports betting on the worldwide stage. The difficult battle, acquisition, has already been won – retention is now the market’s key directive. Sportingtech’s Quantum platform is expertly placed to assist in this – Quantum Power, for instance, is designed to improve and boost both player acquisition and retention and is a fully localized product, featuring open APIs for full integration and customization.

The sharp increase in numbers will level out in time, but this is to be expected. What the market must do to future-proof the progress it has made is provide stability with robust and scalable platforms. This, combined with high-quality content and good UI/UX, will provide a workable framework for a continuation of current trends. This would, in turn, attract even more tier-one operators who, once established with a tried-and-true platform like Quantum, could fuel the second wave of growth.

Online gambling in Portugal has now established itself, and emphatically so. While proceeding with caution, the market must take constructive steps to solidify its position as a potential cornerstone of the European industry. Putting faith in the platforms that have already proved they are worthy of fuelling growth, such as Quantum, is one such step. The stage is set for this market to truly make its mark on the betting industry: underestimate it at your peril.

George Miller (Gyorgy Molnar) started his career in content marketing and has started working as an Editor/Content Manager for our company in 2016. George has acquired many experiences when it comes to interviews and newsworthy content becoming Head of Content in 2017. He is responsible for the news being shared on multiple websites that are part of the European Gaming Media Network.

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Sportradar Reports Second Quarter Financial Results and Raises Full Year 2025 Outlook

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Sportradar Group AG (NASDAQ: SRAD) (“Sportradar” or the “Company”), a leading global sports technology company focused on creating immersive experiences for sports fans and bettors, today announced financial results for its second quarter ended June 30, 2025.

Carsten Koerl, Chief Executive Officer of Sportradar, said: “Our second quarter results, including record quarterly revenue, expanding operating margins and significant cash flow reflect our sustained operating momentum and execution against our growth strategy. Our industry leading scale, including our premium content and product portfolio and leading technology and AI, is driving customer uptake and above market growth. The inherent leverage in our business, combined with our focus on efficiencies, is driving sustainable margin expansion and cash flow generation. Looking ahead, given our momentum we are raising our full year expectations and anticipate the acquisition of IMG ARENA will further expand our capabilities, creating even greater value for our clients, partners and shareholders.”

SECOND QUARTER AND YEAR TO DATE FINANCIAL RESULTS

Revenue

Three-Month Period Ended
June 30,
Six-Month Period Ended
June 30,
in € thousands (unaudited) 2025 2024 Change % 2025 2024 Change %
Revenue by product
Betting & Gaming Content 199,579 180,980 18,599 10 % 393,386 352,568 40,818 12 %
Managed Betting Services 59,187 49,103 10,084 21 % 115,402 97,431 17,971 18 %
Betting Technology & Solutions 258,766 230,083 28,683 12 % 508,788 449,999 58,789 13 %
Marketing & Media Services 40,992 35,414 5,578 16 % 87,601 69,692 17,909 26 %
Sports Performance 12,222 9,892 2,330 24 % 23,633 19,198 4,435 23 %
Integrity Services 5,810 3,031 2,779 92 % 8,999 5,425 3,574 66 %
Sports Content, Technology & Services 59,024 48,337 10,687 22 % 120,233 94,315 25,918 27 %
Total Revenue 317,790 278,420 39,370 14 % 629,021 544,314 84,707 16 %
Revenue by geography
Rest of World 229,823 210,865 18,958 9 % 454,953 411,197 43,756 11 %
United States 87,967 67,555 20,412 30 % 174,068 133,117 40,951 31 %
Total Revenue 317,790 278,420 629,021 544,314

1 Non-IFRS measure or Operating Metric. See the sections captioned “Non-IFRS Financial Measures and Operating Metric” and “IFRS to Non-IFRS reconciliations” for more details.

Revenue

Total revenue for the second quarter was €318 million, up €39 million, or 14% year-over-year, driven by 12% growth in Betting Technology & Solutions and 22% growth in Sports Content, Technology & Services.

Betting Technology & Solutions revenues of €259 million were up 12% year-over-year primarily driven by a 10% increase in Betting & Gaming Content due to both existing and new customer uptake of our products, as well as strong U.S. market growth. Managed Betting Services revenues of €59 million were up 21% driven by strong growth in Managed Trading Services from increased turnover and higher trading margins.

Sports Content, Technology & Services revenues of €59 million increased 22% year-over-year primarily driven by 16% growth in Marketing & Media Services, due to increased spending from technology and media companies and from contributions related to our expanded affiliate marketing capabilities. Integrity Services revenues nearly doubled in the quarter driven by uptake of products and services from league partners, and Sports Performance revenues increased 24% largely due to increased pricing.

The Company generated strong revenue growth globally with the United States up 30% and Rest of World up 9%. As a percentage of total Company revenues, United States revenue represented 28% of total Company revenue in the second quarter as compared to 24% in the prior year quarter, due to continued market growth and customer uptake of our premium content and solutions.

Customer Net Retention Rate of 117% further demonstrates our ability to cross sell and up sell to our clients, as well as the market growth in the United States.

Profit for the period

Profit for the period was €49 million, up €51 million, compared to a loss of €2 million in the same quarter a year ago, driven by strong operating results and a foreign currency gain of €54 million, as compared to a €8 million loss last year, due to unrealized currency fluctuations mainly associated with the U.S. dollar-denominated sport rights. These increases were partially offset by higher income tax expense of €12 million as compared to €1 million last year due to higher pre-tax income.

Adjusted EBITDA

Second quarter Adjusted EBITDA was €64 million, up €15 million, or 31% compared to €49 million in the same quarter a year ago. The increase was largely driven by the 14% revenue growth, partially offset by increased sport rights costs primarily related to the continued success of the ATP partnership deal and our renewed partnership with Major League Baseball, as well as increased adjusted personnel expenses1 to support growth initiatives and higher adjusted purchased services1 driven by investments in developing our product portfolio.

Business Highlights

  • Strengthened partnership with German Bundesliga to further entertain the league’s more than one billion global fans. Bundesliga will leverage Sportradar’s cutting edge innovations and suite of immersive products including player markets, 4Sight streaming and live match tracker, enhancing the in-game experience.
  • Expanded our soccer offering with exclusive global betting rights, including live data, live odds and media content, to all 63 matches of the FIFA Club World Cup. Also safeguarded the tournament with our AI-driven Universal Fraud Detection System.
  • Sportradar won two honors at the SBC Americas Awards, winning for Best Sports Data Product for 4Sight streaming and Best Live Betting & Gaming Product for emBET, with each product cited for its innovative use of AI to deepen fan engagement.

Balance Sheet and Liquidity

The Company’s cash and cash equivalents were €312 million as of June 30, 2025, as compared with €348 million as of December 31, 2024. Higher net cash generated from operating activities of €200 million due to strong operating performance was offset by higher net cash used in investing activities of €118 million primarily from payments related to sport rights licenses, and from higher net cash used in financing activities of €93 million. Financing activities included $65.5 million in share repurchases related to the secondary offering and a €10 million payment related to the acquisition of the remaining non-controlling interest in a subsidiary. Free cash flow for the six-months ended June 30, 2025 was €84 million, an increase of €25 million from €59 million in the same period a year ago.

Including an undrawn credit facility, the Company had total liquidity of €532 million at June 30, 2025, as compared to €568 as of December 31, 2024, and no debt outstanding.

2025 Annual Financial Outlook

Sportradar is increasing its fiscal 2025 outlook as follows:

  • Revenue of at least €1,278 million, representing year-on-year growth of at least 16%
  • Adjusted EBITDA of at least €284 million, representing year-on-year growth of at least 28%
  • Adjusted EBITDA margin expansion of at least 210 basis points
  • Free cash flow conversion1 rate still expected to be above the 2024 level of 53%

The 2025 guidance reflects the anticipated impact of foreign currency fluctuations but does not include any impact from the pending acquisition of IMG ARENA given the uncertainty around the timing of close. Guidance will be updated to incorporate the anticipated uplift resulting from this acquisition following the closing of the transaction.

Share Repurchase Plan

In March 2024, the Board of Directors approved a $200 million share repurchase plan. As of June 30, 2025 the Company has repurchased 4.8 million shares under the plan for a total of $86 million, including 3.0 million shares in conjunction with the secondary offering completed in April 2025.

Conference Call and Webcast Information

Sportradar will host a conference call to discuss the second quarter results today, August 5, 2025 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. Those wishing to participate via webcast should access the earnings call through Sportradar’s Investor Relations website. An archived webcast with the accompanying slides will be available at the Company’s Investor Relations website for one year after the conclusion of the live event.

The post Sportradar Reports Second Quarter Financial Results and Raises Full Year 2025 Outlook appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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GR8 Tech Appoints Sarkis Basmajian to Lead MENA Regional Growth

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GR8 Tech is accelerating its presence in the MENA region with a focused growth strategy and the strategic appointment of Sarkis Basmajian as Regional Sales Director.

As one of the fastest-growing iGaming regions, MENA presents immense potential, especially where demand for agile, tailored platforms quickly overtakes legacy solutions. With its Heavyweight tech and deep geo-specific expertise, GR8 Tech is ideally positioned to lead this evolution.

With nearly a decade of experience leading sales and key account operations in iGaming, Sarkis brings deep regional insight and proven commercial leadership across Tier-2 markets. He will spearhead GR8 Tech’s growth by forging strong partnerships and delivering locally relevant, high-impact solutions from day one.

“What excites me most about joining GR8 Tech is the clarity of vision. We’re building the infrastructure for the next era of iGaming. MENA is evolving fast, and operators here need more than localization. They need strategy, speed, and serious tech muscle. That’s exactly what we’re bringing to the table,” said Sarkis Basmajian.

GR8 Tech’s platform is already renowned for its geo-specific presets, from language and currency to payment integrations and performance optimizations, that adapt perfectly to diverse markets. Whether optimizing for low-bandwidth Africa or football-passionate Latin America, GR8 Tech’s sportsbook DNA and flexibility make it a natural fit for MENA’s market.

“Our goal is simple: expand smart, launch fast, and deliver Heavyweight performance wherever we go,” said Yevhen Krazahan, CSO at GR8 Tech. “With Sarkis leading our regional efforts, we’re set to unlock our platform’s massive potential across the Middle East and North Africa.”

The strategic hire marks the next milestone in GR8 Tech’s mission to power iGaming growth across various markets with Heavyweight infrastructure, local-first execution, and proven regional expertise.

The post GR8 Tech Appoints Sarkis Basmajian to Lead MENA Regional Growth appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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KONAMI eFootball™ Announces Star-Studded India Campaign Featuring KL Rahul, Sunil Chhetri, and Ahan Shetty

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Konami Digital Entertainment, B.V (KONAMI) today announced an electrifying new eFootball™ campaign for its Indian audience, running from August to October 2025 and culminating in a special Meet & Greet event in Mumbai this December. The high-energy initiative celebrates India’s Independence Day and Diwali, featuring tournaments, exclusive content drops, and rewards, alongside appearances from top Indian sports and cultural icons.

The campaign will include two major tournaments – The Independence Day Cup and The Diwali Cup – offering fans the chance to engage with a stellar lineup including cricket star KL Rahul, football icon Sunil Chhetri, content creator Focused Indian, rising cricket talent Nitish Kumar Reddy, and actor Ahan Shetty.

In a first-of-its-kind creative collaboration, KONAMI has also partnered with renowned visual artist and illustrator Santanu Hazarika for an Independence Day surprise for all the eFootball™ fans.

Speaking on the development, KONAMI’s eFootball™ General Producer Junichi Taya said, “India continues to be one of the most exciting gaming communities for us globally, and this campaign is our way of celebrating and voicing that energy — through festivals, football, and fandom. Our commitment to our Indian community is paramount to us. Through a host of partnerships, we are leveraging some of the biggest names in Indian sport and culture with activations aimed at celebrating “INDIA’’. As the industry continues to grow in India, we are seeking to lead the way forward through eFootball™.”

The eFootball™ India Discord server will serve as the central hub for all campaign activities. From UGC challenges and quizzes, to scrims, and tournaments, winners will receive cash prizes and exciting rewards. Critically, the top performers in scrims and tournaments, along with the most active member on the Discord server, will also earn an exclusive invitation to the highly anticipated Meet & Greet event in Mumbai. 

The post KONAMI eFootball™ Announces Star-Studded India Campaign Featuring KL Rahul, Sunil Chhetri, and Ahan Shetty appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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