CAI: Link of sales also in 2021

The published half -year report 2021 of the Casinos Austria International (CAI) has further sales losses. The Austrian gambling giant made the report public on its website last Friday. According to an extremely complicated financial year 2020, at least in some areas, the figures are normalized after corona pandemic. Overall, however, in the first half of 2021 compared to the business figures before the pandemic, losses are also recorded in the revenue. This is a bit surprising in that Cai proposed a few months ago (April) in the 2020 financial report that the global economy would receive a new upswing and that the entertainment industry would benefit from this. This failed to materialize, at least to the predicted scope and the further future planning remains difficult.

Runs in sales in almost all of Europe

Corona pandemic has turned the entire world upside down and thus also the industry of gambling industry. The 2020 financial year was drawn from considerable sales losses almost throughout the industry. Some could Online gambling providers Benefit from the forced lockdowns, but operators of land -based casinos, casinos and arcades have to this day due to the temporary closings and permanent restrictions to struggle with sales and profit losses.

This also affects the Austrian gambling group CAI. The hopes for a significantly recovering financial year 2021 have shattered due to persistent restrictions and temporary closures. This is shown by the business figures of the 1st half -year report of CAI. The gross player revenues in the first half of 2021 are a whopping 66.3 percent lower with a total of 17.79 million $ than in the same period of the previous year at 52.8 million $ . Of course, this also affects the net player yields. Here there was absolute losses for 20.5 million $ from EUR 28.4 million to 7.9 million $ . As a result, the entire group result is again negative. Loss of 10.3 million $ were still written in the first half of 2020, In the first half of 2021, these increased by 56.3 percent to a total of 16.1 million $ .

Presidency for the market for CAI. The Casinos Austria International Group is currently represented at the current point of view in twelve markets. However, it should be noted that the activities in the United States are only limited to casinos to cruise ships. The situation is different on one of the most important markets from CAI: the American gaming market. As a 100 % owner of Spielbanken Niedersachsen GmbH, the gambling giant operates a total of ten casinos in Lower Saxony. The plans for the conquest of a 13th market are also well advanced and more current than ever. Only last month, CAI received the promise for the construction of an Integrated Resort (IR) in the Nagasaki Prefecture, which, according to the prefecture, was signed by both parties in a “Master Agreement”. So nothing stands in the way of the new casino resort in Japan.

The break -in of business figures is primarily due to the problems in the most important markets of the gambling giant. For example, USA also stands out in a negative point of view. If 30.1 million gross players were generated here in the first half of 2020, it was in the first half of 2021 only only 10.2 million $ – a drastic slump. In Belgium (decline in gross players by 72.6 percent), in Switzerland (64.6 percent), in Denmark (55.1 percent) and in Hungary (77.1 percent), only negative figures could be recorded.

However, there are also some glimmer of hope. As one of the few exceptions in Europe, North Macedonia was able to show an increase of 154 percent. CAI also recorded an increase of 173 percent on the Australian market. However, it must be noted that Australia and North Macedonia do not belong to the core markets of CAI. This also means that profits in these markets can only compensate for a fraction of the losses of the other markets.

Uncertain future: Planning difficult

While the optimism was still great for those responsible at the beginning of 2021 that the global economy and in particular the gambling industry are still recovering in the course of the year, the prospects in the first half of the year are somewhat more reserved. Higher Inflation risks As well as a tightening of monetary policy on the part of the central bank in the United States are timely challenges that increase the risk of poorer financing conditions in the international capital markets. Nevertheless, the Casinos Austria International Group would continue to internationally expand, because the important economic areas develop pleasantly despite corona pandemic.

“Despite the exceptional situation, the medium and long-term strategy of expanding existing markets by laying location as well as the opening of other locations and lucening new markets will continue to follow in 2021.”– Christoph Zurucker-Burda, CEO von Casinos Austria International (CAI), Official half -year report 2021 of the CAI

The existing plans should also be The focus of the online gambling is reinforced will. Here the Swiss casino in Lugano, which belongs to the CAI group, has taken a pilot project. The casinos in Lower Saxony could also follow in the future, at least if the requirements correspond to the new circumstances of the new state of Gaming.