VALLETTA, Malta, April 24, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- First quarter highlights

• Gross winnings revenue amounted to GBP 224.4 (207.8) million for the first quarter of 2019, an increase of 8 per cent.
• Gross winnings revenue from the Swedish market for the first quarter of 2019 amounted to SEK 207.4 million after deduction of bonuses of SEK 137.9 million.
• Underlying EBITDA for the first quarter of 2019 was GBP 30.6 (47.5) million.
• Profit before tax for the first quarter of 2019 amounted to GBP 17.7 (33.6) million.
• Profit after tax for the first quarter of 2019 amounted to GBP 15.1 (29.9) million.
• Earnings per share for the first quarter of 2019 were GBP 0.067 (0.131).
• Number of active customers during the first quarter was 1,631,636 (1,383,201).

"All-time high in active customers but, as expected, profits for the quarter significantly impacted by the new local licence in Sweden"

"During the quarter we have had strong levels of activity across all markets and all-time highs in active customers and Sports betting turnover. This is the result of our continued investment in marketing, where focus has been in relation to responsible gambling in Sweden and football sponsorships in the UK."

"As anticipated for several years, the re-regulation of the Swedish market resulted in significant short term margin pressure, particularly in the first quarter. The single biggest impact came from all legacy and new Swedish customers being awarded with one additional bonus under the terms of the new licensing system. The significant uptake on customer bonuses, especially in January and February, resulted in bonus expenditure increasing with GBP 6.6 million for the first quarter compared with the same period last year. Bonus costs stabilised later in the quarter and by March were lower than last year with full year costs expected to be lower than for 2018."

"Other significant items affecting the quarter was the Swedish betting duties paid of GBP 5.2 million but also marketing investments increasing with GBP 3.8 million. This has significantly influenced the Gross winnings revenue in the quarter but also EBITDA. The total effect on Group EBITDA from the Swedish market opening in the first quarter was a reduction of GBP 18.9 million compared to the first quarter last year. Whilst these are significant numbers, we always expected the opening of the market to result in an initial margin pressure but we are confident that we have a solid base to build from and are expecting continuous improvements from here."

"During the first quarter of 2019, Gross winnings revenue from mobile grew by 17 per cent compared to the first quarter of last year and amounted to 77 per cent of our total Gross winnings revenue. Of the Group's Gross winnings revenue, 57 per cent came from locally-regulated markets."

"For the period 1 April to 21 April 2019, the daily average Gross winnings revenue in GBP was 10 per cent higher (12 per cent in constant currency) than for the same period last year," says Henrik Tjärnström, CEO of Kindred Group.

The information in this report is such that Kindred Group plc is required to disclose under the EU Regulation of Market Abuse, MAR.

For further information please contact:

Inga Lundberg, Investor Relations
+44-788-799-6116

Henrik Tjärnström, CEO
+46-723-878-059

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https://news.cision.com/kindred-group/r/kindred-group-plc---interim-report-january---march-2019--unaudited-,c2794439

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SOURCE Kindred Group