Tatts Group hails "outstanding" H1 online performance

Tatts Group today hailed the “outstanding” performance of its online arm after the Australian operator reported double-digit turnover growth in H1 2016 from its digital wagering and lottery businesses.

The Melbourne-based firm said sales from online wagering for the six months ended 31 December 2015 increased 20% year-on-year, accounting for 30% of all turnover from both its land-based and online wagering business.

Meanwhile, sales from its online lotteries arm grew 35% year-on-year, but from a lower base with digital turnover at approximately 13%.

Tatts Group CEO and managing director, Robbie Cooke, praised the work done by the company’s digital team which included the launch of its UBET.com brand in April last year.

“A huge effort has been made by the talented team here at Tatts over the last few years, focusing on improving our customers’ digital journey, being more effective in our online marketing actions and communicating with our online audience in a most timely and relevant way,” he said.

“The momentum we are gaining from these digital initiatives in both our lotteries and wagering operations is truly exciting,” Cooke continued.

Total group revenues, which includes the operator’s land-based business, increased 6.5% year-on-year to AU$1.6bn (?810m) and the firm also posted a small 0.2% uptick in EBITA, up from $276.1m (?138.2m) in H1 2015 to $276.6m (138.4m) this year.

The release of the company’s latest financial results comes four months after talks over a $9bn (?4.2bn) merger with rival Australian operator Tabcorp came to an end.

According to local media reports at the time, a sharp drop in Tabcorp’s share price had scuppered the deal after providing Tatts with a stronger hand in the merger talks.