Press Releases
Expert Insights and Networking: SBC’s Exclusive Capital Markets Forum at the NYSE
SBC is gearing up to launch its debut Earnings & More:Capital Markets Forum event at the iconic New York Stock Exchange on May 6, offering 200 attendees a blend of learning and networking opportunities with leading experts.
This exclusive event, organized in collaboration with Earnings+More, aims to unite top minds from investment banks, M&A, and strategic advisory firms, alongside financial analysts and senior decision-makers from the gambling industry. Together, through a series of conference sessions, they will discuss pivotal trends shaping the betting and iGaming space in the United States and globally.
Conference Sessions
As the era of readily available capital wanes, private equity finds itself under pressure to validate its value proposition. Experts Adam Rosenberg (Senior Advisor | Gaming & Leisure, Blackstone), Joel H. Simkins (Managing Director, Houlihan Lokey), Nanette Heide (Global Chair, Private Equity Group, Duane Morris), and John Decree (Analyst, Global Commercial Real Estate Services) will dissect the specific contributions private equity can make to the gaming industry by evaluating its industry-related historical performance. Among other topics, the âPrivate Equity and Gamingâ panelists will elaborate on which companies they identify as promising targets for private equity involvement, both in the public market and among privately owned enterprises.
The ‘Billion-dollar Babies: The Swing to Profitability’ panel will explore the implications of the shift towards profitability and the rise of billion-dollar EBITDA giants for the rest of the United States’ online sports betting and online casino industry. The panelists will answer questions such as the repercussions the substantial profits amassed by sector frontrunners will have on others in the field, as well as how those earnings are going to be utilized. Andrew Fabian (Investment Banking â Global Technology Group, Citi), Barry Jonas (Managing Director, Truist Securities), Cassandra Lee (Senior Associate, Bettor Capital), and Chad Beynon (Senior Equity Analyst, Macquarie) will also discuss whether the industry will witness increased merger and acquisition activities, among other key discussion points.
As the trend of European companies struggling to penetrate the North American market prompts questions about their ongoing aspirations, the ‘Safe European Home: What do Withdrawals from North America Say about Future Ambitions?’ panel will delve into the associated challenges of the companies retracting their presence from North America. With concerns over wasted capital and failed ventures looming large, Ramy Ibrahim (Managing Director, Moelis & Company), Matt Sodl (Founding Partner & President, Innovation Capital), and Robin Chhabra (CEO, Tekkorp) will discuss strategies for assuaging investor apprehensions and articulating future plans. Scott Longley (CEO, Clear Concise Media) will moderate the session.
As the trend of continuously expanding portfolios with bolt-on deals becomes more challenging, the ‘No More Worlds to Conquer: What Happens When the Bolt-On Deals Dry Up?’ panel shifts the discussion to the future of M&A activity. Sandford Loudon (Partner, Oakvale Capital), Thomas Nicholls (Managing Director, Strategic Advisory Group, PJT Partners), Adam Berger (Partner, Duane Morris), and James Brodie (Head of Interactive, International, MGM Interactive) will zoom in on the quest for value-enhancing deals in Europe and beyond and analyze whether the era of the bolt-on juggernaut is nearing its end, with such opportunities dwindling and shareholders growing increasingly wary of costly expansions.
While the spotlight has largely been on the expansion of sports betting in the United States, the slower progress of online casino legalization at the state level has received less attention. Panelists Davis Catlin (Managing Partner, Discerning Capital), Josh Swissman (Consultant, GMA), Lauren Seiler (Founder, Global Gaming Advisors), and Eric Hession (President, Caesars Digital) will discuss the opportunities in the online casino field and the potential rewards that operators can capitalize on during the âShort-term memory: Have investors forgotten about iCasino?â panel. Caroline Ponsetti (Communications Strategist, Invariant) will moderate the session where one main question will be answered: are investors tuned in to this long-term potential?
Once the conference session concludes, attendees will be invited to join Networking Drinks directly on the Trading Floor at 6 pm.
Secure your spot at the Capital Markets Forum with a pass priced at $300. Availability is limited.
Conveniently timed, the event precedes the SBC Summit North America, the foremost iGaming & Sports Betting Event in North America, scheduled for May 7-9 at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in New Jersey. This ensures convenience for those interested in attending both events.
Latest News
ESET Research analyzes tools from the China-aligned TheWizards group, with targets across Asia and the Middle East
ESET researchers have analyzed Spellbinder, a lateral movement tool used to perform adversary-in-the-middle attacks by the China-aligned threat actor TheWizards. Spellbinder enables adversary-in-the-middle attacks through IPv6 stateless address autoconfiguration spoofing, which allows the attackers to redirect the update protocols of legitimate Chinese software to malicious servers. Then the legitimate software is tricked into downloading and executing the malicious components that launch the backdoor WizardNet.
TheWizards has been constantly active since at least 2022 until the present and, according to ESET telemetry, targets individuals, gambling companies, and unknown entities in the Philippines, Cambodia, the United Arab Emirates, mainland China, and Hong Kong.
âWe initially discovered and analyzed this tool in 2022, and observed a new version with a few changes that was deployed to compromised machines in 2023 and 2024,â says ESET researcher Facundo MuĂąoz, who analyzed Spellbinder and WizardNet. âOur research led us to discover a tool used by the attackers that is designed to perform adversary-in-the-middle attacks using IPv6 SLAAC spoofing to intercept and reply to packets in a network, allowing the attackers to redirect traffic and serve malicious updates to legitimate Chinese software,â explains MuĂąoz.
The final payload in the attack is a backdoor that we named WizardNet â a modular implant that connects to a remote controller to receive and execute .NET modules on the compromised machine. ESET researchers have focused on one of the latest cases, in 2024, in which the update of Tencent QQ software was hijacked. The malicious server that issues the update instructions is still active. This variant of WizardNet supports five commands, three of which allow it to execute .NET modules in memory, thus extending its functionality on the compromised system.
TheWizards and the Chinese company Dianke Network Security Technology (also known as UPSEC) â supplier of the DarkNights backdoor (also known as DarkNimbus), appear to be linked. According to NCSC UK, this malicious backdoor also has Tibetan and Uyghur communities among its primary targets. While TheWizards uses a different backdoor â the WizardNet, the hijacking server is configured to serve DarkNights to updating applications running on Android devices.
Neosurf, the progressive online payments company known for bridging the gap between cash and digital transactions and helping iGaming operators meet their AML and compliance requirements, has now launched in the regulated Mexican market.
With Mexicoâs sports betting industry experiencing rapid growth and a strong player preference for alternative and cash-based payment solutions, Neosurf sees a significant opportunity to provide an enhanced range of market-tailored payment services to operators and players alike.
Neosurfâs cash-to-digital wallet solutions will enable Mexican players to fund their accounts securely while also giving operators access to robust compliance tools. With its pioneering Compliance Handshake feature, Neosurf provides an opportunity for seamless and secure KYC data sharing, improving the player journey and providing additional data and reporting for the operator
âIn talking with operators, weâve learnt that theyâre not being serviced as well as they could be â there are gaps in customer support, compliance processes and overall payment efficiency,â explained Sue Page, CEO Americas at Neosurf.
âWe believe our solution fills these gaps by offering a more reliable, secure and compliant way for players to transact, while also helping operators improve the all-round customer experience. Weâre already live with first regional partners, such as Fun88, in the country and will quickly be adding more SEGOB licensed operators over the coming months.â
âWith many Mexican players favouring cash, partnering with Neosurf allows us to offer a payment method that aligns with customer preferences while reinforcing our commitment to security and compliance,â added Christian Ramos, legal representative at Fun88 Mexico. âTheir ability to provide frictionless transactions while enhancing AML and KYC processes makes them a key partner in the market.â
Neosurfâs launch in Mexico is just the beginning of its expansion into the regulated Latin American market, with the company already exploring further opportunities across the region. Through delivering its fast, secure and customer-centric payment solutions, Neosurf remains committed to reshaping the payments experience for players and operators, both within Mexico and beyond.
Strong start to 2025 affirms strategic approach and confidence of positive EBITDA in 2025
BetMGM LLC , one of the leading sports betting and iGaming operators across North America, jointly owned by Entain plc and MGM Resorts International, is providing an update on its 1Q 2025 performance.
- BetMGMâs strong momentum from 2H 2024 continued during 1Q 2025, driven by its leading iGaming offering and strengthened sports product, and refined approach to player management
- 1Q Net Revenue up +34% YoY with strong growth across both iGaming (+27%) and Online Sports (+68%)
- Positive 1Q EBITDA and underlying trends reaffirm confidence that FY 2025 will be EBITDA positive1
Adam Greenblatt, Chief Executive Officer of BetMGM, commented:
“2025 is off to an encouraging start for BetMGM as we execute our revised strategic plan. The momentum we built in the second half of 2024 continued into the first quarter as we implement our powerful iGaming strategy, enabling us to grow faster than the market and at scale. In Online Sports, we are elevating our brand and delivering improved performance, even in the face of unfavorable sports outcomes during key moments in the quarter. As we approach May, we remain confident in achieving full year positive EBITDA in 2025, supported by solid underlying activity trends and our successful delivery of positive EBITDA in the first quarter.â
1Q 2025 Key Financial Highlights
| 1Q 2025 BetMGM Financial Summary1,2,3 | |||
| Three months ended March 31 |
|||
| $ millions, unless otherwise noted | 2025 | 2024 | YoY Change |
| Net Revenue | |||
| iGaming | $443 | $348 | +27% |
| Online Sports | $194 | $116 | +68% |
| Handle | $4,088 | $3,174 | +29% |
| GGR Hold % | 8.2% | 8.7% | (50)bps |
| NGR Hold % | 4.8% | 3.6% | +110bps |
| Retail / Other | $20 | $26 | (22)% |
| Total Net Revenue | $657 | $489 | +34% |
| Contribution | $116 | ($38) | +$153 |
| EBITDA | $22 | ($132) | +$154 |
| Average Monthly Actives (thousands)4 | 1,067 | 1,009 | +6% |
Financial Highlights
- 1Q Net Revenue of $657 million, up +34% YoY, continuing acceleration with strong underlying player engagement metrics
- iGaming Net Revenue up +27% YoY driven by leading iGaming offering
- Online Sports Net Revenue up +68% YoY demonstrating strengthened product offering, expansion of NGR margin, and enhanced player engagement
- Handle up +29% YoY5
- NGR margin improvement of +110 bps YoY
- Average Monthly Actives up +6% YoY, reflecting significant growth in iGaming players, partially offset by improved OSB approach to player segmentation and management
- 1Q EBITDA of $22 million (up $154 million YoY), with iGaming Contribution of $133 million and positive Contribution from Online Sports
- 1Q EBITDA benefited from one-time accounting items offset by the impact of customer friendly sports results
- Continued stabilization of GGR market share in active markets with iGaming (22%) and Online Sports (8%), further cementing BetMGMâs podium position in the market6,7
- $150 million revolving credit facility remains undrawn
Operational highlights
- Market leading iGaming offering
- 1Q Average Monthly Actives up +43% reflecting our leading iGaming offering and focused marketing investment
- Active Player Days up +39% YoY driven by unique and exclusive content across both real-money and free-to-play engagement games8
- Improved cross-sell engagement with +13 ppt YoY increase in percent of Online Sports players playing iGaming9
- Strengthened Online Sports product coupled with focus on premium mass players and improved engagement
- Broader market range, improved pricing and enhanced parlay offering contributed to strong gains in player economics and activity metrics
- Growth of +4.8 ppt in parlay bet mix (inclusive of SGPs)10
- Bets per Active increased +28% YoY11
- Broader market range, improved pricing and enhanced parlay offering contributed to strong gains in player economics and activity metrics
- Refined approach to player retention with improved segmentation and promotional strategy
- Handle per Active up +37% YoY12
- Active Player Days up +20% YoY
Outlook
- BetMGMâs year-to-date performance provides increased confidence in exceeding guidance, however we remain mindful it is still relatively early in the year. As such, we reaffirm our expectations for FY 2025 to be EBITDA positive, and Net Revenue guidance of $2.4 billion to $2.5 billion
- Reiterated expectations of Online Sports to be Contribution positive for FY 2025
- Reaffirmed confidence in BetMGMâs pathway to $500 million EBITDA in the coming years
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