Naughty Santa

About Naughty Santa

Many top gaming stocks have underperformed relative to the broader market in recent years, and most of the M&A activity has been facilitated by private equity and other institutions that can more readily capitalise on depressed valuations. There had been hope that rates would start to fall and help alleviate those pressures.

“Publicly traded valuations are a reflection of the current interest rate environment,” Chad Beynon, lead gaming analyst for Macquarie, told iGB. “Whether it’s a long-term financial model on a growth company, you’re going to discount that back at a higher rate, or if it’s just a standard four-wall business, the cash flows in a higher interest rate environment are worth less.”

According to data from Yahoo Finance, the resort and casino sector is -41% over the last five years, and the overall gambling sector, which includes major sportsbooks and online operators, is +7%; the benchmark S&P 500 index, by comparison, is +71% during that span.

What is Naughty Santa?

“Looking ahead, as land-based gaming evolves into a more digital and experience-led environment, these initiatives, together with the implementation of a low-cost operating model, are expected to improve performance, increase market share, profitability and generate stronger returns over the medium term,” the company said.

Alongside gaming, hospitality revenue rose 2.8% to R1.29 billion despite an impact of around R20 million from war-related cancellations.

Sun International highlighted a strong start to its H2, with revenue growth as of 31 August ahead of the company’s guidance range of 6% to 8%.

What is Naughty Santa?

Latin America revenue also continued to grow during the six-month period – up 29% to €100 million – driven by customer acquisition from the World Cup in both Mexico and Colombia.

The company cited a 100% uplift in Mexico’s average audience versus the 2022 World Cup, which had led to “excellent new customer acquisition” during the tournament.

The supplier’s total B2B revenue increased 14% YoY to €394.8 million, while adjusted EBITDA
increased 75% to €128.1 million.