New Proprietary Online Content and New Market Entry to Drive Near- and Long-Term Growth

Raises Full Year 2021 Revenue Guidance to EUR €49.0 million (USD $57.8 Million2) and Adjusted EBITDA of EUR €5.4 million (USD $6.4 million) and Initiates Full Year 2022 Revenue Guidance

Bragg Gaming Group (TSX:BRAG, OTC: BRGGF) ("Bragg" or the "Company"), a global B2B gaming technology and content provider, today reported its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2021 and provided an update on its strategic growth initiatives.

Summary of Q2-21 Financial and Operational Highlights

Euros (Thousands)

Q2-21

Q2-20

% Change

Revenue

€15,491

€12,145

27.6%

Adjusted EBITDA

€1,900

€1,751

8.5%

Adjusted EBITDA margin

12.3%

14.4%

-2.1%

 

Operational

Q2-21

Q2-20

% Change

Wagering revenue (Euros)

€3.8B

€3.3B

15.9%

Unique players3

2.3M

1.9M

21.0%

Revenue / top 10 customers

57%

64%

-11.3%

Select Recent Strategic Development Progress

  • Bragg completed the acquisition of Wild Streak LLC (“Wild Streak”) on June 2, 2021. Wild Streak, a leading U.S. and European-focused proprietary casino content studio, provides Bragg with a library of nearly 40 casino content titles as well as expertise in game design, slot mathematics, and advanced game mechanics and features. As of June 30, 2021 Wild Streak had seven online casino games live in key iGaming markets including in New Jersey, the UK and other regulated jurisdictions in Europe which have helped grow Wild Streak’s revenues and Adjusted EBITDA by 149% and 940%, respectively, in the first half of 2021 compared to the same period in 2020. Bragg launched its first Wild Streak online game in Michigan last month, to a strong player response.

The acquisition of Wild Streak will significantly help transform the Company’s business going forward as it continues to shift from primarily providing third-party online gaming content to be predominantly focused on providing in-house developed proprietary online gaming content that carry higher gross profit margins. Wild Streak’s product roadmap currently contemplates the release of six new games through the end of 2021 and 12 new games next year.

  • Bragg continues to make progress with the U.S. and Canadian licensing process in connection with its previously announced, pending acquisition of Spin Games LLC (“Spin Games”) and expects to complete the acquisition in the fourth quarter, pending regulatory approval from various U.S. states’ gaming commissions. The technical integration between Spin Games and the Company’s Oryx Hub distribution platform is complete and the combined offering will deliver the benefits of Oryx’s advanced player engagement, data tools and platform technology alongside Spin Games’ U.S. market content and operator relationships, providing a differentiated and widely distributed iGaming product offering.

Following completion of the transaction, Bragg will gain access to key strategic operator relationships in the U.S. where Spin Games has over 30 customers including leading iGaming operators. The Company plans to leverage these relationships to initially cross-sell its existing European casino content followed by the new, proprietary online casino content currently being developed to address the U.S. and Canadian markets. Spin Games’ remote games server and casino content are fully licensed and distributed in the U.S. states of New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan, and is licensed and pending go-live in British Columbia, Canada. Spin Games has a proprietary content portfolio of more than 30 in-house developed games, including content in emerging and trending categories such as slots, video poker, action bingo and keno. Spin Games will also augment Bragg’s existing content portfolio with numerous popular third-party titles from well-known, land-based slot manufacturers.

  • Bragg’s Oryx Gaming is live in various European online gaming markets, the largest of which by revenue contribution is Germany. Following the new iGaming regulatory regime in Germany which became effective on July 1, 2021, revenue contributions from Germany are expected to decline in the second half of 2021 and into 2022 compared to historical levels. These changes are fully anticipated in Bragg’s growth forecasts and are expected to be offset by strong growth in both new and existing markets as well as from new clients, from increased profit margins as a result of the Company’s focus on developing more proprietary content, and from acquisitions. Bragg continues to make progress with diversifying its European market penetration including recent activations in Spain, Denmark and Greece, as well as being fully prepared to enter the Netherlands when the newly regulated market opens, anticipated on October 1, 2021.
  • The Company is expanding into new global online gaming markets including Europe’s two largest iGaming markets, the U.K. and Italy, and the Company expects to obtain appropriate licenses and certification for both of these countries in Q4 2021. In the U.S., the Company is in the process of applying for licenses in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Overall, the Company expects to move from supplying its products in markets with a combined total addressable market (“TAM”) for online casino of US$2.8 billion in 2021, to markets with a combined online casino TAM of US$18.4 billion in 2022, presenting significant revenue uplift opportunities.
  • During the quarter The Company launched eleven new exclusive games via its Oryx remote games server in partnership with third-party studios, and two new proprietary games from its in-house Oryx Gaming studio. In addition, Wild Streak launched two new games during the quarter.
  • The Company expects to increase its output of games produced from its in-house studios, which capture a greater share of the value chain compared to the distribution of third-party games. Illustrating this progress, in 2020 the Company released zero games developed by in-house studios and this year it expects to release five games in Europe from its proprietary Oryx Gaming studio, representing 11% of all exclusive games released via the Oryx remote games server (“RGS”) this year. In 2022, the Company’s Oryx Gaming studio expects to release 19 proprietary games in Europe, representing 33% of exclusive games released via the Oryx RGS in the region that year. In addition, in 2022 the Oryx Gaming studio expects to release four proprietary games in the U.S., and the Company’s Wild Streak studio expects to release ten proprietary games in the U.S. for a total of 14 fully-owned online slot game titles expected to go live in the region, and representing 37% of all exclusive games expected to be launched by the Company in the U.S. in 2022. The increased proportion of in-house games released is expected to benefit the Company’s gross profit margin profile.
  • As previously disclosed, Bragg has submitted an application to list its common shares on the Nasdaq Stock Market.

“Bragg had strong 2021 second quarter financial performance while also continuing to advance our in-house content development strategy and new market entry plans, including entry into the North American market, while also making progress on our Germany mitigation strategies. Overall, our comprehensive growth initiatives are expected to contribute to revenue and Adjusted EBITDA growth over the balance of this year and more meaningfully in 2022,” said Richard Carter, CEO of Bragg Gaming Group. “Second quarter revenue rose 27.6% to EUR €15.5 million (USD $18.3 million), generating Adjusted EBITDA of EUR €1.9 million (USD $2.2 million) representing year-over-year Adjusted EBITDA growth of 8.5%. Our effectiveness in helping online casino operators connect with players is clearly reflected in the 21% year-over-year increase in the number of unique players using Bragg content, and in the 41 new customers using our games and services we’ve added over the last twelve months.

“Throughout the second quarter, we made meaningful progress with our strategic growth initiatives including expanding existing customer relationships, building out a pipeline of premium in-house iGaming content, and providing our content and offerings to new markets throughout North America and Europe. These and other strategies are transforming Bragg into a leading content focused, B2B iGaming provider and will help drive growth as we leverage our scalable technology stack, which features industry unique player engagement tools, and proprietary intellectual property to address the burgeoning global online casino markets. We believe our growth initiatives will not only help to rapidly mitigate the near-term impact from the new Germany regulatory structure, but more importantly will help drive our execution on future revenue growth opportunities and lead to significant expansion of our EBITDA margins over the medium term."

“Our recent acquisition of Wild Streak brings to Bragg a fast-growing leading game development studio with a strong online content pipeline and expands on the in-house development capabilities of our Oryx Gaming studio. Wild Streak currently has seven online games live in New Jersey and other non-U.S. markets including Dragon Power, which has been a top performing title in New Jersey since its release in May 2020. In the six-month period ending June 30, 2021, Wild Streak’s online gaming revenue has risen rapidly, and we expect ongoing growth as their pace of new game introductions increases going forward."

“Further, our pending acquisition of Spin Games LLC (“Spin Games”) will accelerate our entry into North American iGaming markets, help us port high-performing European online content into North America, and bring a wealth of U.S. market and compliance expertise to Bragg. We expect our pipeline of internally developed premium content will increase to 33 new online games in 2022 up from five games produced by our Oryx Gaming studio in 2021. Our ability to develop and commercialize our own game content and marry it with our leading player engagement tools such as tournaments and jackpots is one of our highest priorities as this combination offers significant economic advantages, boosting wagers and generating greater gross profit margins when compared to the distribution of third-party content."

“As we continue to transition to the distribution of internally developed content, we remain focused on growing the number of markets we serve. We are moving forward with further expansion in the U.S. and preparing for the introduction of our games in Ontario when that market opens, which is expected before year-end. While we will continue to serve the German market, we are diversifying away from our historic revenue concentration in that market based on our entrance into new North American and international iGaming markets such as the U.K. and Italy, which are the two largest European markets. Our market expansion and revenue diversification initiatives will help offset the anticipated revenue decline in Germany related to the new regulatory regime, as reflected in our expectation that full year 2021 revenues will rise 5.6% year-over-year. We expect our entry into new markets will be a significant driver of growth throughout 2022 as we expect to increase the TAM we can address more than 500% to over US$18 billion.”

Mr. Carter concluded, “Bragg possesses many competitive advantages including proprietary, modern technology and development resources that enable us to innovate rapidly and develop content quickly. With our technology platform, growing proprietary premium content portfolio, value-added player engagement tools, and global distribution capabilities, we believe Bragg is well positioned to capture a growing share of the large global iGaming market. These factors, combined with our low capitalized expenditure requirements and predominantly fixed cost operating model, will enable Bragg to grow revenue and Adjusted EBITDA margins that results in near and long-term Adjusted EBITDA growth and creates value for our shareholders.”

Second Quarter 2021 Financial Results and other Key Metrics Highlights

  • Revenue increased by 27.6% to EUR €15.5 million (USD $18.3 million) in Q2 2021 compared to EUR €12.1 million (USD $14.3 million) in Q2 2020, inclusive of 28 days of contributions from Wild Streak.
  • Wagering revenue generated by customers increased 15.9% to EUR €3.8 billion (USD $4.5 billion) compared to EUR €3.3 billion (USD $3.9 billion) in Q2 2020.
  • The number of unique players[4] using Bragg games via its Oryx Hub distribution platform and content increased by 21.0% to 2.3 million, from 1.9 million in Q2 2020.
  • Gross profit increased by 37.5% to EUR €7.0 million (USD $8.3 million) from EUR €5.1 million (USD $6.0 million) in Q2 2020, reflecting higher revenue and a 3.3% margin improvement to 45.4%. The margin expansion is primarily the result of the continued revenue mix shift towards a higher proportion of revenues from iGaming and turnkey services, which have lower associated cost of sales when compared to games and content.
  • Net loss for the period was EUR €2.3 million (USD $2.8 million), an increase of EUR €1.9 million (USD $2.3 million) from Q2 2020, primarily due to incremental increase in employee costs, exceptional professional fees as a result of the Nasdaq listing efforts, offset by increased gross profit and a reduction in costs in relation to deferred consideration payable.
  • Adjusted EBITDA was EUR €1.9 million (USD $2.2 million), up 8.5% compared to EUR €1.8 million (USD $2.1 million) in Q2 2020, and the Adjusted EBITDA margin decreased by 2.1% to 12.3%, reflecting increased salary and subcontractors’ costs as part of the Company’s investment in the expansion of its software development, product and management functions.
  • Cash and cash equivalents as of June 30, 2021 was EUR €21.0 million (USD $24.7 million)

Raises Full Year 2021 Guidance and Initiates Full Year 2022 Revenue Guidance

Bragg today provided full year revenue and Adjusted EBITDA guidance, inclusive of contributions from Wild Streak. The Company expects revenue of EUR €49 million (USD $57.8 million) and Adjusted EBITDA of EUR €5.4 million (USD $6.4 million), compared to its prior, pre-acquisition guidance of revenue of EUR €47 million (USD $55.5 million) and Adjusted EBITDA of EUR €4 million (USD $4.7 million). This also compares to 2020 full year revenue and Adjusted EBITDA of EUR €46.4 million (USD $54.8 million) and EUR €5.5 million (USD $6.5 million), respectively. In addition, Bragg initiated full year revenue guidance for 2022 of EUR €54 million to EUR €56 million (USD $63.7 million to USD $66.1 million).

Investor Conference Call

The Company will host a conference call today, August 11, 2021, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time, to discuss the second quarter 2021 results. During the call, management will review a presentation that will be made available at http://www.bragg.games/investors a few minutes before the start of the call.

To join the call, please use the below dial-in information: US/Canada: (844) 965-3274 UK: 0203 547 8613 / 0800 051 7107 International: (639) 491-2382 Passcode: 7796169

A replay of the call will be available for seven days following the conclusion of the live call. In order to access the replay, dial (416) 621-4642 or (800) 585-8367 (toll-free) and use the passcode 7796169.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release may contain forward-looking statements or "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws ("forward-looking statements"), including, without limitation, statements with respect to the following: the Company's strategic growth initiatives and corporate vision and strategy; financial guidance for 2021 and 2022, expected performance of the Company's business; expansion into new markets; the impact of the new German regulatory regime, expected future growth and expansion opportunities; expected benefits of transactions, including the acquisition of Wild Streak and Spin; expected future actions and decisions of regulators and the timing and impact thereof. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of presenting information about management’s current expectations and plans relating to the future and allowing readers to get a better understanding of the Company's anticipated financial position, results of operations, and operating environment. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or describes a "goal", or variation of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved.

All forward-looking statements reflect the Company's beliefs and assumptions based on information available at the time the statements were made. Actual results or events may differ from those predicted in these forward-looking statements. All of the Company's forward-looking statements are qualified by the assumptions that are stated or inherent in such forward-looking statements, including the assumptions listed below. Although the Company believes that these assumptions are reasonable, this list is not exhaustive of factors that may affect any of the forward-looking statements. The key assumptions that have been made in connection with the forward-looking statements include the following: the impact of COVID-19 on the business of the Company; the closing of the acquisition of Spin; the integration of Wild Streak; the regulatory regime governing the business of the Company; the operations of the Company; the products and services of the Company; the Company's customers; the growth of Company's business, the meeting minimum listing requirements of Nasdaq; which may not be achieved or realized within the time frames stated or at all; the integration of technology; and the anticipated size and/or revenue associated with the gaming market globally.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, future events, conditions, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, prediction, projection, forecast, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, the following: risks related to the Company’s business and financial position; that the Company may not be able to accurately predict its rate of growth and profitability; the risks associated with the completion of the acquisition of Spin and ability to satisfy closing conditions; risks associated with the integration of Wild Streak; risks associated with general economic conditions; adverse industry events; future legislative and regulatory developments; the inability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources; the inability to access sufficient capital on favorable terms; realization of growth estimates, income tax and regulatory matters; the increased costs associated with meeting the minimum listing requirements on Nasdaq; the ability of the Company to implement its business strategies; competition; economic and financial conditions, including volatility in interest and exchange rates, commodity and equity prices; changes in customer demand; disruptions to our technology network including computer systems and software; natural events such as severe weather, fires, floods and earthquakes; and risks related to health pandemics and the outbreak of communicable diseases, such as the current outbreak of COVID-19. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Non-IFRS Financial Measures

Statements in this news release make reference to "Adjusted EBITDA", which is a non-IFRS (as defined herein) financial measure that the Company believes is appropriate to provide meaningful comparison with, and to enhance an overall understanding of, the Company's past financial performance and prospects for the future. The Company believes that "Adjusted EBITDA" provides useful information to both management and investors by excluding specific expenses and items that management believe are not indicative of the Company's core operating results. "Adjusted EBITDA" is a financial measure that does not have a standardized meaning under International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"). As there is no standardized method of calculating "Adjusted EBITDA", it may not be directly comparable with similarly titled measures used by other companies. The Company considers "Adjusted EBITDA" to be a relevant indicator for measuring trends in performance and its ability to generate funds to service its debt and to meet its future working capital and capital expenditure requirements. "Adjusted EBITDA" is not a generally accepted earnings measure and should not be considered in isolation or as an alternative to net income (loss), cash flows or other measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. Adjusted EBITA is more fully defined and discussed, and reconciliation to IFRS financial measures is provided, in Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis ("MD&A") for the second quarter ended June 30, 2021.

About Bragg Gaming Group

Bragg Gaming Group (TSX:BRAG, OTC: BRGGF) ("Bragg") is a growing global gaming technology and content group and owner of leading B2B companies in the iGaming industry. Since its inception in 2018, Bragg has grown to include operations across Europe, North America and Latin America and is expanding into an international force within the global online gaming market.

Bragg’s ORYX Gaming delivers proprietary, exclusive and aggregated casino content via its in-house remote games server (RGS) and ORYX Hub distribution platform. ORYX offers a full turnkey iGaming solution, including its Player Account Management (PAM) platform, as well as managed operational and marketing services.

Nevada-based Wild Streak Gaming is Bragg's wholly owned premium U.S. gaming content studio. Wild Streak has a popular portfolio of casino games that are offered across land-based, online and social casino operators in global markets including the U.S. and UK.

In May 2021, Bragg announced its planned acquisition of Nevada-based Spin Games, B2B gaming technology and content provider currently servicing the U.S. market. Spin holds licenses in key iGaming-regulated U.S. states and supplies Tier 1 operators in the region. Find out more.

__________________________________

1 Adjusted EBITDA is a non-IFRS measure. For important information on the Company’s non-IFRS measures, see “Non-IFRS Financial Measures” below. 2 Bragg Gaming’s reporting currency is Euros. The exchange rate provided for U.S. dollars is 1.18. Due to fluctuating currency exchange, this rate is provided for convenience only. 3 “Unique players" are defined as individuals who made a real money wager at least once during the period.

Yaniv Spielberg Chief Strategy Officer Bragg Gaming Group info@bragg.games

Joseph Jaffoni, Richard Land, James Leahy JCIR 212-835-8500 or bragg@jcir.com

 

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