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What is Golden Colts?
Robinson takes a more expansive view, however, arguing that the acquisition could mark the beginning of a broader shift in GiG’s strategy. “I’d read it as the start of something, not a one-off,” he says. “GiG’s survival as an independent business depends on consolidating in emerging markets where it can own the P&L, not just supply the technology.
“It’s worth remembering this isn’t foreign ground. GiG ran Rizk, Guts, Kaboo and Thrills until it sold them to Betsson in 2020 to pay down a bond. A previous regime decided B2C and B2B didn’t mix. The current one clearly thinks otherwise.”
Ultimately, Ahlberg sees the acquisition as opening two possible paths for GiG, with the balance between B2B and B2C likely to depend on how each business performs. “I definitely think this business will become a larger part of GiG,” he concludes.
How to play Golden Colts
Burnham dealt another slight blow to the retail sector recently, by insisting he would scrap “aim to permit” for betting shops as well as insisting that AGCs will now need planning permission to function.
Done questioned how much more of a tax burden wealthy business owners in the UK should bear, noting: “They keep saying those with the broadest shoulders should be paying more tax. Well, how broad do my shoulders have to be? We paid £400 million in taxes as a family last year.”
He expressed a personal reluctance to emigrate outside of the UK, but acknowledged that his children might seek more favourable tax regimes abroad.
About Golden Colts
The four analysts arrive at much the same broad conclusion, albeit by different routes.
For Birkin, the share-price decline has gone well beyond the deterioration in earnings expectations. Fantini sees the industry’s great growth phase as largely behind it. Beynon’s focus is on what the market can see today: earnings and cash flow, rather than promises of future sportsbook growth. And for Robinson, the weakness is no longer simply a matter of valuation. It is increasingly showing up in the fundamentals themselves.
Nobody is predicting the end of gambling. The market is still growing. Good operators are still making money. New products are emerging.
