PokerStars’ parent organization, Amaya, declared a $25.9 million net deficit in 2015. This represented a substantial decrease from their 2014 earnings of $125.2 million. Nevertheless, the firm emphasized its modified net income, presenting a more optimistic outlook. These numbers, incorporating factors like interest expenditures and stock-based remuneration, revealed an 18% surge, reaching $372.2 million.
CEO David Baazov acknowledged difficulties associated with exchange rate volatility and the introduction of new offerings but highlighted the favorable adjusted earnings as an indicator of the company’s fundamental robustness. Total revenue ascended by 8% to $1.37 billion, while adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) experienced an 11% rise to $586.9 million. Amaya was also eager to underscore that when accounting for currency variations, their overall revenue actually expanded by 15%, propelled by a comparable increase in real-money online revenue.
Over the year, Amaya achieved significant strides in diminishing its long-term debt, reducing it from roughly $3.16 billion to $2.59 billion. They anticipate interest and debt disbursements to be approximately $173 million in 2016.
Concentrating on the final quarter of 2015, Amaya incurred a net loss of $15.8 million, a stark difference from the $35.6 million profit during the corresponding period in 2014. However, their adjusted net earnings for Q4 2015 surged by a remarkable 27% to $111.3 million. This expansion was fueled by a 15% revenue increase, reaching $389.5 million, and a 16% rise in adjusted EBITDA to $166.2 million.
PokerStars’ parent organization, Amaya, disclosed a 12% revenue surge for the quarter, disregarding currency exchange impacts. This expansion was chiefly fueled by a 13% climb in online gaming revenue generated from real money wagers.
However, real-money poker constituted a reduced segment of the total revenue distribution this quarter, reaching 78% compared to 93% during the corresponding period last year. This underscores Amaya’s ongoing endeavors to broaden its offerings beyond poker.
Casino and sportsbook revenue exhibited robust expansion, leaping 14% year-on-year and currently representing 17% of overall revenue.
The residual revenue originated from other sectors, encompassing social gaming, virtual currency games, live poker tournaments, branded poker platforms, and daily fantasy sports.
“Throughout 2015, we effectively implemented our strategy to diversify our enterprise while upholding our market-leading position in poker,” stated David Baazov, Chairman and CEO of Amaya.
Despite encountering obstacles from currency exchange rates and product launch difficulties, Amaya attained positive growth on a constant currency basis. Baazov conveyed optimism that the company’s 2016 investments and endeavors will reinforce its standing as a frontrunner across numerous gaming verticals.
Looking forward, Amaya projects preliminary revenue for the initial two months of 2016 to be roughly $189 million, signifying a 4% year-over-year increase. When accounting for currency fluctuations, this figure escalates to $208 million, reflecting a 14% growth.
The company anticipates real-money online poker to contribute 75% of this revenue, while online casino and sportsbook are forecasted to collectively generate 21%.
