VLT rollout costs drag OPAP Q1 net profit down by 8.7%

Hurt by costs of rolling out a new video lottery business, Greek betting and lottery operator OPAP reported an 8.7 percent in net profit for the first quarter of 2017.

The Greek-based operator said its net profit for the first three months of the year came in at €39 million ($42.8 million), down from the €42.8 million net profit it reported for the same period last year.

Meanwhile, the company’s gross gaming revenues climbed 5.3 percent to reach €358.9 million, with robust performance in its lottery operations more than offsetting weakness in sports betting. OPAP said revenues from its lottery business increased by 10.9 percent to €223.1 million, while total sports betting revenues was down by 6.9 percent to €95.4 million in the first quarter of the year.

OPAP, Europe’s fourth-biggest betting operator, said expenses for rolling out new video lottery terminals (VLTs) and other games weighed on the company’s bottom line. The company has been punting on its new VLT business, which was launched last year, to become a catalyst for future growth.