GVC CEO: GVC-MGM will gain good leverage off Yahoo deal

GVC Holdings CEO Kenny Alexander remains “very bullish” about Roar Digital’s US prospects, following the publication of GVC’s 2019 financial report.

GVC reported £3.66bn ($4.73bn) in global revenue for 2019, although the operator has only made a handful of calculated moves in the US so far.

Alexander, however, is still happy with the progress of Roar Digital, the joint venture between GVC and MGM Resorts International, and is pleased in particular with October’s content deal with Verizon Media-owned Yahoo.

When we spoke for the CEO Special back in December 2018, you played down any early-mover advantage in the US and said the market will look very different in five years. Are you still confident of this assessment, given the moves Roar Digital has made to date, but also given the progress the likes of DraftKings and FanDuel have made?

Yes, I am. I think FanDuel and DraftKings have a big advantage on us but we’re making very good progress. We’ve made good moves in a couple of markets, it’s growing well; we’re investing a substantial amount. We’ll get good leverage off the deal we’ve done with Yahoo, we’ll get good leverage off the omni-channel off of MGM Resorts’ assets.

Yes, we’re playing catch-up but it’s a long game; I think if we take a five-year view, I’m very optimistic and I think we’ll create a lot of good value for our shareholders through this joint venture.

We’re growing well and the results we’ve had in 2019 are against a challenging environment, due to regulation and the integration of Ladbrokes and Coral in the UK. Despite that, we’ve delivered an excellent set of results and we’re very bullish for 2020.

Alexander also answered questions on GVC’s European business, which you can read on Gambling Insider.

Tim Poole

Visit Profile

Players trust our reporting due to our commitment to unbiased and professional evaluations of the iGaming sector. We track hundreds of platforms and industry updates daily to ensure our news feed and leaderboards reflect the most recent market shifts. With nearly two decades of experience within iGaming, our team provides a wealth of expert knowledge. This long-standing expertise enables us to deliver thorough, reliable news and guidance to our readers.