Kenneth Morton, Group Chief Financial Officer of Allwyn International, is determined that the company's performance history on money generation can not be matched by rivals after the closure of the OPAP merger today.

The management of Allwyn International believes that it has actually crafted the strongest financial investment case in global gambling, following its improvement into an openly noted business through its combination with OPAP.

By market close on Tuesday 24 March, Allwyn was trading as the world's second-largest lottos and gaming company, sealing its position among the top tier of listed betting operators.

The deal will unify Allwyn International with OPAP, the enduring steward of the Greek national lottery game and retail betting franchise - marking the culmination of a six-month tactical effort to improve the group's monetary and business identity.

Creating worth in a new-look Allwyn

At its core, the brand-new Allwyn profile is specified by money generation, scale and consistency, while reinforcing its status as one of the biggest factors to great causes across its markets.

However, for Group CFO, Kenneth Morton, who spoke exclusively to SBC News following closure of the merger, the story extends well beyond scale to among trust, differentiation and sustainable value creation.

"We're not brand-new to this market," Morton said, pointing to Allwyn's historic collaboration with Athens-listed OPAP. "OPAP investors already understand what we've done. Total investor returns have actually surpassed 500% considering that 2013."

He added that this performance has been driven by disciplined execution, consisting of the doubling of OPAP's EBITDA over the previous five years.

Crucially, that performance history has actually translated into strong investor confidence in the freshly integrated entity, with more than 93% of OPAP shareholders staying invested.

"We've made them a great deal of cash - which credibility matters as we tell the Allwyn story internationally," he kept in mind.

Redefining lottery game

Morton has placed Allwyn as an unique outlier amongst other listed gaming business.

From its origins in the Czech Republic with SAZKA, the group has actually evolved into what he describes as a special entity within the sector - one that has effectively developed a new category of operator by scaling and modernising the lottery model across numerous jurisdictions.

"What we have is a pretty differentiated organization," he said. "We've developed something that didn't truly exist before - a scaled, lottery-led platform."

This distinction is rooted in a combination of retail strength, digital capability, proprietary technology and increasing content combination. All of this intends to extend the relevance of lotteries within a modern home entertainment landscape.

A main pillar of Allwyn's investment case is its ability to provide both development and investor returns - a balance that Morton argued is unmatched in the sector.

He continued: "Since 2019, we've basically tripled the size of the service across every metric. At the very same time, we've generated a great deal of cash and paid significant dividends."

For Morton, this double performance underpins Allwyn's appeal in equity markets: "That's a truly engaging and appealing proposal."

In his discussion with SBC, he explained the company as an uncommon example of a gaming organization that is capable of scaling, while also preserving financial discipline and providing constant returns.

Diversification is strength

Diversification is another specifying strength of Allwyn's brand-new PLC profile, especially in the context of uncertain and cyclical market conditions.

"If you look at gaming stocks, we're one of the most varied," Morton stated. "That's a huge favorable - both from a downside perspective and in regards to development optionality."

Unlike operators greatly exposed to single markets or product verticals, Allwyn's multi-market, multi-channel structure supplies a more durable revenues base while using versatility to pursue brand-new development chances.

A new-look Allwyn

Looking ahead, the company's ambitions extend well beyond Europe. While OPAP and other continental assets offer a strong structure, Morton determined The United States and Canada as a crucial strategic frontier for the operator, alongside emerging opportunities in South America.