Player Protection: 
At today’s Supervisory Board meeting, CEO Erwin van Lambaart and CFO Martin Škopek of the Casinos Austria und Österreichische Lotterien Unternehmensgruppe presented the annual financial statements for 2022. It is the first consolidated balance sheet under the leadership of CEO van Lambaart, who has now held overall responsibility for a year.
2022 was marked by the end of the Corona measures and a move back to normality, although there were still massive restrictions in the early months of 2022, especially in the casino business and at WINWIN with their VLTs. On the other hand, the effects of the Ukraine war and the resulting energy crisis and high inflation added to the challenges that the Group’s business had to face.
Consolidated gross gaming revenue increased to EUR 1.42 billion compared to EUR 1.15 billion in the previous year. As a result, the consolidated result rose to a pleasing EUR 154 million (2021: EUR 130 million). With EUR 690 million in taxes and duties, the Group continues to be one of the largest taxpayers in the country, making Austria the biggest winner of a responsible, legal range of gaming offers.
“I’m proud that, together with our 3,000 highly motivated colleagues, we’ve succeeded in leading our Group through these difficult times on a strong, stable path. The fact that we are an extremely attractive employer is certainly paying off. I used my first year in the company to work with my fellow Board member Martin Škopek and the management team to develop a new Group strategy under the title ‘Doing Great Things While Doing Good Things’. It is gratifying to now see the first positive effects of that strategy,” says CEO Erwin van Lambaart, expressing his satisfaction with his first year at the Group’s helm.
“It’s not an easy or automatic thing to be economically successful with an entertainment offer in the current situation. The consistent implementation of our restructuring programme and new initiatives have increased the Group’s earning power, which means that we’re now well positioned to face the challenges ahead,” CFO Martin Škopek said about the Group’s balance sheet.
Consistent focus on responsibility – Playsponsible
The strategy’s most essential pillar is the responsible handling of the sensitive topic of gambling-related issues. Player protection is part of the Group’s corporate DNA, as is the adoption of social responsibility in the important areas of sports, culture, and social commitment as well as, of course, all matters of sustainability. Austrian sports alone receive EUR 120 million per year directly from Austrian Lotteries’ business activities. “We stand for the best possible player protection. We’re at the forefront of the international gaming industry in that regard. In the course of this year, we’ll be placing a new emphasis on all areas of responsibility under the heading of ‘Playsponsible’, and we’ll be launching new initiatives, investments and innovations in order to demonstrate even more clearly that the Casinos Austria and Austrian Lotteries Group is the best partner for Austria in the gaming and entertainment sector,” van Lambaart with regard to giving an outlook on innovations in 2023.