Evoke flags 5pc rise in second-quarter revenue

(Sharecast News) - Evoke said on Tuesday that second-quarter revenue rose by 5% year-on-year, driven by growth in online betting and gaming and a recovery in retail following the rollout of 5,000 new gaming machines earlier this year. In a post-close trading update for the three and six months ended 30 June, the William Hill parent formerly known as 888 Holdings said online revenue rose around 6% in the second quarter, with continued strength in international core markets.

Retail returned to growth following machine upgrades completed in March, while sports betting performance was affected by a tough comparative period, which included the Euros and a stronger win margin last year.

Group revenue for the first half rose by 3%, with double-digit growth in gaming offsetting sports weakness.

Evoke said it expected adjusted EBITDA for the half to come in between £163m and £167m, up 43% at the midpoint compared with the same period last year.

That would lift last 12-month EBITDA to over £360m, and support ongoing deleveraging efforts.

"The second quarter of 2025 marked our second strongest quarterly revenue performance since the beginning of 2023, a particularly encouraging result given the tough comparator from lapping the Euros," said chief executive Per Widerström.

"Importantly, this growth was also delivered profitably, in line with our focus on sustainable profitable growth."

He added that the company continued to transform the group's capabilities for the mid- and long-term.

"Our disciplined strategy with clear focus on our core markets and driving operational excellence is delivering improved profitability and enabling further deleveraging."

Evoke reaffirmed its full-year guidance for 5% to 9% revenue growth and an adjusted EBITDA margin of at least 20%.

The company said it would report its interim results on 13 August.

At 1108 BST, shares in Evoke were up 4.88% at 64.5p.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.