Gambling.com Group Limited Reports Third Quarter 2021 Financial Results

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Nov. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Gambling.com Group Limited (Nasdaq: GAMB) ("Gambling.com Group" or the "Company"), a leading provider of digital marketing services active exclusively in the global online gambling industry, today announced its operating and financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2021.

Third Quarter 2021 Financial Highlights

• Revenue of $10.1 million grew 37% compared to $7.4 million in the same period for the prior year
• Net income of $4.7 million, or $0.13 per diluted share, compared to a net income of $2.3 million, or $0.08 per diluted share, in the same period for the prior year
• Adjusted EBITDA of $3.5 million decreased 14% compared to $4.0 million in the same period for the prior year, representing an Adjusted EBITDA margin of 34%¹ 
• Free cash flow of $0.8 million decreased 81% compared to $3.9 million in the same period for the prior year² 

Third Quarter 2021 Business Highlights

• Completed successful public listing of common shares on the Nasdaq Global Market under the ticker symbol "GAMB"
• Announced appointment of Mr. Daniel D'Arrigo to Board of Directors
• Received temporary supplier license from the Arizona Department of Gaming to provide marketing services to licensed operators in the state and launched free-to-use comparison of legal online sports betting services on BetArizona.com
• Launches of Marylandbets.com, casinosource.nl and gambling.com/nl providing bettors in Maryland and the Netherlands with trusted and up to date gambling information to help them place safe and secure legal wagers
• Completed acquisition of domains suitable for targeting the US market

"Our financial performance in the third quarter remained strong as we grew revenue by 37% compared to the prior year and, despite the third quarter being the seasonally slowest quarter of the year, delivered an Adjusted EBITDA margin of 34%," said Charles Gillespie, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Gambling.com Group. "Importantly, after the quiet summer months of July and August, we delivered all-time-high revenue in September. With the launch of Arizona and the kickoff of the NFL season, we saw a significant uplift in U.S. revenue in September and our U.S. performance exceeded our internal expectations. Entering the quarter with good momentum we are encouraged by the start to our seasonally stronger fourth quarter. We remain highly focused on prudently growing the Company through both sustained organic growth and future accretive acquisitions which we continue to actively pursue" 

Third Quarter 2021 vs. Third Quarter 2020 Financial Highlights

Revenue

Total revenue in the third quarter increased 37% to $10.1 million compared to $7.4 million in the comparable period for the prior year. On a constant currency basis, revenue increased $2.3 million, or 30%. The increase was driven by improved monetization of NDCs that we attribute to a combination of technology improvements and changes in product and market mix. NDCs decreased 4% to 27,000 compared to 28,000 in the prior year.

Our revenue disaggregated by market is as follows:

Revenue increases were primarily driven by organic growth in our Other Europe and North American markets.

Our revenue disaggregated by monetization is as follows:

Revenue increases were driven primarily by additional CPA commission and Other revenue. The increase in Other revenue was driven primarily by bonuses related to achieving certain operator NDC performance targets.

Our revenue disaggregated by product type from which it is derived is as follows:

Revenue increases were driven by growth in revenue from casino and sports products.

Operating Expenses

Total operating expenses increased by $3.8 million to $7.7 million compared to $3.9 million in the prior year. On a constant currency basis, operating expenses increased by $3.5 million to $7.7 million compared to $4.2 million in the prior year. The increase was driven primarily by headcount across Sales and Marketing, Technology, and General and Administrative functions as we invest in the Company's organic growth initiatives as well as increased administrative expenses associated with operating as a public company.

Sales and Marketing expenses totaled $3.6 million compared to $1.8 million in the prior year. The increase was driven primarily by increased wages and salary expenses associated with increased headcount and professional services.

Technology expenses totaled $1.1 million compared to $0.7 million in the prior year. The increase was driven primarily by increased wages and salary expenses associated with increased headcount partially offset by capitalized development costs.

General and Administrative expenses totaled $3.0 million compared to $1.4 million in the prior year. The increase was driven primarily by increased wages and salary expenses associated with increased headcount, professional services, and insurance expenses. 

Earnings

Adjusted EBITDA decreased by 14% to $3.5 million compared to $4.0 million in the prior year representing an Adjusted EBITDA margin of 34%. The decrease was driven primarily by increased operating expenses partly offset by increased revenue.

Operating profit in the third quarter decreased 31% to $2.4 million compared to $3.5 million in 2020. The decrease was driven primarily by a decrease in Adjusted EBITDA and an increase in share-based payments expense.

Net income in the third quarter totaled $4.7 million, or $0.13 per diluted share, compared to net income of $2.3 million, or $0.08 per diluted share, in the prior year. The increase was primarily driven by the recognition of deferred tax assets related to the transferred intangible assets. 

Free Cash-flow

Total cash generated from operations of $1.4 million decreased 65% compared to $4.0 million in the prior year. The decrease was driven primarily by decreased adjusted EBITDA, the settlement of non-recurring IPO-related expenses and income tax payments. Free cash flow totaled $0.8 million compared to $3.9 million in the prior year. The decline was the result of decreased cash flow generated from operations and increased capital expenditures consisting primarily of the acquisition of domain names and capitalized development costs. 

Balance Sheet

Cash balances as of September 30, 2021 totaled $53.2 million, an increase of $45.0 million compared to $8.2 million as of December 31, 2020. Working capital as of September 30, 2021 totaled $55.1 million, an increase of $45.0 million compared to $10.1 million as of December 31, 2020.

Total assets as of September 30, 2021 were $91.6 million compared to $45.4 million as of December 30, 2020. Total borrowings, including accrued interest, totaled $5.9 million compared to $6.0 million as of December 31, 2020. Total liabilities were $11.4 million compared to $11.2 million as of December 31, 2020.

Total equity as of September 30, 2021 was $80.3 million compared to $34.2 million as of December 31, 2020.

The increases in working capital, total assets, and total equity were driven primarily by the net proceeds received from the IPO and operating profit and net income generated by the Company.

2021 – 2023 Financial Targets

2021 Outlook

Elias Mark, Chief Financial Officer of Gambling.com Group, added, "Our third quarter results came in a bit above our expectations and after slow summer trading our financial performance accelerated in September to close out the quarter with the best month in the Company's history. Our Adjusted EBITDA margin of 34% in the quarter was healthy despite a seasonally slow quarter and investments in scaling the organization for organic growth initiatives and operating as a public company. This is consistent with our prior guidance that our near-term margins may deviate from our average 40% target as we invest in our organic growth plan and pursue our M&A strategy. For the full year, we are reiterating our expectation to achieve both above 40% year-on-year organic revenue growth and approximately 40% Adjusted EBITDA margin. We remain in a very strong financial position after the IPO last quarter which offers us significant optionality going forward to execute our growth plan and each of our capital allocation priorities."

Conference Call Details

To access the call, please dial in approximately ten minutes before the start of the call. An accompanying slide presentation will be available in PDF format within the "News & Events" section of the Company's website.

An archived webcast of the conference call will also be available in the News & Events section of the Company's website at gambling.com/corporate/investors/news-events.

For further information, please contact:
Media: Derek Brookmeyer, Gambling.com Group, [email protected], 616-528-0882
Investors: Ross Collins, Alpha-IR Group, [email protected], 312-445-2877

About Gambling.com Group Limited

Gambling.com Group Limited (Nasdaq: GAMB) is a multi-award-winning performance marketing company and a leading provider of digital marketing services active exclusively in the online gambling industry, based on September 30,2021 revenue. The Company has more than 200 employees and operates from offices in Ireland, the United States and Malta. Through its proprietary technology platform, the Company publishes a portfolio of premier branded websites including Gambling.com and Bookies.com. Founded in 2006, the Company owns and operates more than 30 websites in six languages across 13 national markets covering all aspects of the online gambling industry, which includes iGaming and sports betting. Gambling.com Group is publicly traded on the Nasdaq Global Market.

Supplemental Information

Constant Currency

Changes in our financial results include the impact of changes in foreign currency exchange rates. We provide "constant currency" analysis, as if EUR-USD exchange rate had remained constant period-over-period, to enhance the comparability of our results. When we use the term "constant currency," we adjust for the impact related to the translation of our condensed consolidated financial statements from EUR to USD by translating financial data for the three months September 30, 2020 using the same foreign currency exchange rates that we used to translate financial data for the three months ended September 30, 2021.

Constant currency metrics should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for reported results prepared in accordance with IFRS. Refer to "Results of Operations" for Management's discussion of the constant currency impact for these periods. For foreign exchange rates used, refer to "Note 3 Significant Accounting Policies," within the Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

Rounding

We have made rounding adjustments to some of the figures included in the discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with our condensed consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto. Accordingly, numerical figures shown as totals in some tables may not be an arithmetic aggregation of the figures that preceded them.

Cautionary Note Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act, Section 21E of the Exchange Act and the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, that relate to our current expectations and views of future events. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this presentation, including statements regarding our 2021 outlook and future results of operations and financial position, whether we can sustain our organic growth and make accretive acquisitions, industry dynamics, business strategy and plans and our objectives for future operations, are forward-looking statements. These statements represent our opinions, expectations, beliefs, intentions, estimates or strategies regarding the future, which may not be realized. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as "believe," "may," "estimate," "continue," "anticipate," "intend," "should," "plan," "expect," "predict," "potential," "could," "will," "would," "ongoing," "future" or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions that are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Forward-looking statements are based largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, short-term and long-term business operations and objectives and financial needs. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, contingencies, changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially and/or significantly different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statement. Such risks include our ability to manage expansion into the U.S. markets and other markets; compete in our industry; our expectations regarding our financial performance, including our revenue, costs, EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA Margin and Free Cash Flow; the sufficiency of our cash, cash equivalents, and investments to meet our liquidity needs; mitigate and address unanticipated performance problems on our websites, or platforms; attract, retain, and maintain good relations with our customers; anticipate market needs or develop new or enhanced offerings and services to meet those needs; stay in compliance with laws and regulations, including tax laws, that currently apply or may become applicable to our business both in the U.S. and internationally and our expectations regarding various laws and restrictions that relate to our business; anticipate the effects of existing and developing laws and regulations, including with respect to taxation, and privacy and data protection that relate to our business; obtain and maintain licenses or approvals with gambling authorities in the U.S.; effectively manage our growth and maintain our corporate culture; identify, recruit, and retain skilled personnel, including key members of senior management; our ability to successfully identify, manage, consummate and integrate any existing and potential acquisitions; our ability to maintain, protect, and enhance our intellectual property; our intended use of the net proceeds from this offering; our ability to manage the increased expenses associated and compliance demands with being a public company; our ability to maintain our foreign private issuer status; and other important risk factors discussed under the caption "Risk Factors" in Gambling.com Group's prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on July 23, 2021, and Gambling.com Group's other filings with the SEC as such factors may be updated from time to time. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof and accordingly undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. Gambling.com Group disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than to the extent required by applicable law.

Non-IFRS Financial Measures

Management uses several financial measures, both IFRS and non-IFRS financial measures in analyzing and assessing the overall performance of the business and for making operational decisions.

EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin

EBITDA is a non-IFRS financial measure defined as earnings excluding net finance costs, income tax charge, depreciation, and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA is a non-IFRS financial measure defined as EBITDA adjusted to exclude the effect of non-recurring items, significant non-cash items, share-based payment expense and other items that our board of directors believes do not reflect the underlying performance of the business. Adjusted EBITDA Margin is a non-IFRS measure defined as Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of revenue.

We believe EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin are useful to our management as a measure of comparative operating performance from period to period as they remove the effect of items not directly resulting from our core operations including effects that are generated by differences in capital structure, depreciation, tax effects and non-recurring events.

While we use EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin as tools to enhance our understanding of certain aspects of our financial performance, we do not believe that EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin are substitutes for, or superior to, the information provided by IFRS results. As such, the presentation of EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for any measure prepared in accordance with IFRS. The primary limitations associated with the use of EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin as compared to IFRS results are that EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin as we define them may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies in our industry and that EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin may exclude financial information that some investors may consider important in evaluating our performance.

Below is a reconciliation to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA from net income for the period attributable to the equity holders as presented in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income and for the period specified:

Below is the Adjusted EBITDA Margin calculation for the period specified:

Free Cash Flow

Free Cash Flow is a non-IFRS financial measure defined as cash flow from operating activities less capital expenditures, or CAPEX.

We believe Free Cash Flow is useful to our management as a measure of financial performance as it measures our ability to generate additional cash from our operations. While we use Free Cash Flow as a tool to enhance our understanding of certain aspects of our financial performance, we do not believe that Free Cash Flow is a substitute for, or superior to, the information provided by IFRS metrics. As such, the presentation of Free Cash Flow is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for any measure prepared in accordance with IFRS.

The primary limitation associated with the use of Free Cash Flow as compared to IFRS metrics is that Free Cash Flow does not represent residual cash flows available for discretionary expenditures due to the fact that the measure does not deduct the payments required for debt service and other obligations or payments made for business acquisitions. Free Cash Flow as we define it also may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies in the online gambling affiliate industry.

Below is a reconciliation to Free Cash Flow from cash flows generated by operating activities as presented in the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows for the period specified:

Earnings Per Share

Below is a reconciliation of basic and diluted earnings per share as presented in the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Income for the period specified:

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SOURCE Gambling.com Group