The MeridianBet Group (Meridian), one of southeast Europe’s leading business-to-consumer (B2C) sports betting and gaming groups operating in multiple markets across Europe, Africa and Latin America, today provided a review of the company’s growth and progess in 2023 and an update on the pending acquisition of Meridian by Golden Matrix Group Incorporated (NASDAQ: GMGI).
Meridian achieved about 25 percent revenue growth in 2023 compared with revenue growth of 24 percent in the prior year as well as increases in EBITDA and net profit of around 10% and 6%, respectively, compared with the prior year as a result of significant new product offerings and continued expansion into regulated jurisdictions:
1) Meridians’s new and advanced proprietary gaming platform, Atlas, successfully rolled out in 40 percent of all territories
2) Meridian launched seven new advanced slot games that received nearly 100 positive casino reviews
3) WinGo, a new numbers game created by Meridian’s Expanse Studios, generated ticket sales of about $2 million in November, a 55.4% increase on $1.28 million recorded in September
4) Meridian launched partnerships with 36 new media outlets and integrations with six new online casino platforms
5) Streamlined registration and deposit steps were implemented to improve user experience, engagement and satisfaction
6) As a founding member of the European Organization for Gaming Law (EOGL) based in the European Union (EU) capital of Brussels, Meridian will be involved in legislative and regulatory discussions and play a key role in shaping industry standards EU and worldwide
7) Meridian is licensed and currently operating in 15 jurisdictions across Europe, Africa and South America. A significant addition includes Kenya, one of the largest gaming markets in Africa, and management expects a license to operate in South Africa to be granted to Meridian in the first quarter of 2024
8) Additionally, Brazil has recently approved regulations that will allow licensed operators to operate both sportsbooks and online casinos. Meridian has already established fully operational casino and sportsbook operations in Brazil and has submitted an expression of interest, the first step in obtraining a Brazilian gaming license
The revenue in the online gambling market in Brazil is projected to reach US$1.97 billion in 2024 and the market is expected to continue growing at an annual growth rate of 16.51% from 2024 to 2028.**
** Statista – Online Gambling – Brazil November 2023
“We are extremely pleased with our strong year-on-year operating results and continued expansion into new regulated markets,” the Chief Executive Officer for Meridian, Zoran Milosevic, said. “We are especially excited about the recent legislation for online casino and sportsbook in Brazil, one of the worlds largest gambling markets.
“We look forward to the completion of the acquisition by Golden Matrix Group Incorporated, now expected in the first quarter of 2024, and how the combined company will offer state-of-the-art B2B and B2C gaming platforms in multiple jurisdictions worldwide. The completion of this acquisition will drive long-term value for all our stakeholders as we benefit from economies of scale and from both companies’ historical revenue and profit growth.”
