Operator News
France – Partouche’s annual revenue hit by 22 per cent due to pandemic
By Phil - 1 February 2021
French casino operator Partouche has reported that its Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) was down by 21.8 per cent or €525.7m over the financial year.
Slots were down 26.7 per cent with traditional games down 17.8 per cent. Only the table games GGR abroad increased, up 24.6 per cent, driven by the jump in online games and sports betting in Belgium, which increased by 51.1 per cent due to the context of confinement and closure.
A spokesperson said: “The Group’s activity after a start to the year marked by a very good momentum, was suddenly brought to a halt mid-March by the first lockdown and then between mid-March and the beginning of June by the ban on the opening of casinos before resuming its activity quite satisfactorily in June. This last observation is a determining factor, despite the necessary health measures put in place, in the confidence that the Group has in its ability to restart its activity in an optimal manner. The measures aimed at limiting the spread of Covid-19 marked once again the end of the financial year, involving the gradual closure of all French casinos in October 2020. The latter still remaining closed at this date.”
Net Gaming Revenue (NGR) fell overall to €282.9m with EBITDA1 2020 reaching €51.2m compared with €75.7m in 2019, representing 14.9 per cent of turnover.
Partouche is launching an almost drive-through casino at its La Grande Motte casino to counter the latest round of COVID-19 closures with an outdoor play area where customers can park and play on 27 gaming pod’s, which have been installed in the casino’s car park, all of which are only accessible by car. After a check at the entrances, casino customers will go to a first box of 25 m2 intended for parking the vehicle. Once parked, customers will be able to go to an adjoining box where five gaming stations will be installed offering 10 large format slot machines, English roulette or electronic Black Jack. For the 17 small format boxes, there will be two game screens. In total, 64 screens will be placed on the site, ie 36 slot machines and 28 electronic roulette or Black Jack stations. In each box, three CCTV cameras will be installed. After customers have left a box, all machines will be cleaned and disinfected.
Continuously striving for excellency in the customer experience in its establishments, the group continues to enrich its offer and renovate its casinos base to improve its performance. The renovation of Royat was completed on December 8 after two years of work, it aimed at refocusing the activity on games and significantly improving the user experience. Giant screens have been installed in the rotunda welcoming the clientele, guaranteeing total immersion in universes of very varied contents. The Aquabella Hotel & Spa downtown Aix-en-Provence and near the Pasino is about to complete the restructuring of its common areas, after the renovation of all of its rooms in 2019 and of its restaurant with its bio-climatic terrace, its kitchens and the creation of four suites in its belvedere in financial year 2020. The Bandol casino is finalising the expansion works on its gaming room and the renovation of its restaurant and kitchen for a delivery scheduled for April 2021. The Hyères casino will be partially renovated by 2024, as planned in its Concession Agreement. Other redevelopments are planned for the casinos in Tour-de-Salvagny (2021) near Lyon and in Annemasse near Geneva (2022).
The Belgian State Council has finally validated the choice of Ostend City Hall to entrust the management of its casino to the competing candidate. The current concession expires on 31st July 2021.
Groupe Partouche has initiated various proceedings aimed at asserting its rights on the lease of the premises, which was granted until 2029. Proceedings were also initiated in dispute of the 2002 Royal Decree which retroactively aligned long delegations, such as Ostend, on the maximum duration of new delegations (20 years), thus reducing by 8 years the concession held by the group. Partouche has signed with the municipality of Middelkerke the casino concession which has been won and which will begin on 1st July 2022.
Finally in Japan, a consortium formed mainly by Groupe Partouche and Pixel Companyz Inc in August 2020 has positioned itself to respond to the call for tenders launched by the Nagasaki Prefecture, southwestern Japan, for the construction of an Integrated Resort on 31 hectares. This provides for the development of a convention center, leisure facilities, hotels, restaurants, shops and a casino, which Groupe Partouche would manage.
