Light & Wonder, Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2023 Results
Achieved Record Full Year Results Driven by Double-Digit Growth across All Businesses
Delivered 11 Consecutive Quarters of Consolidated Revenue Growth with Increase of 13% in the Quarter and 16% for the Full Year
Healthy Balance Sheet and Strong Financial Profile
Returned $170 Million of Capital to Shareholders through Share Repurchases during 2023
LAS VEGAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Light & Wonder, Inc. (NASDAQ and ASX: LNW) (“Light & Wonder,” “L&W,” “we” or the “Company”) today reported results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.
We closed the year with momentum and delivered our 11th consecutive quarter of consolidated revenue growth and sixth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth year-over-year. Consolidated revenue in the quarter grew 13%, driven by strong performance across all our businesses, while we maintained strong margins:
- Gaming revenue increased to $496 million, up 13% compared to the prior year period, primarily driven by another quarter of robust Gaming machine sales growth, which increased 31% globally, coupled with continued strong momentum in Gaming operations.
- SciPlay revenue rose to $204 million, a 12% increase from the prior year period, breaking a quarterly revenue record for the sixth consecutive quarter, driven by the core social casino business, which once again delivered strong payer metrics and outpaced the market and gained share.
- iGaming revenue increased 13% to $70 million reflecting continued growth momentum in the U.S. and international markets.
Full year consolidated revenue increased 16% to $2.9 billion delivering record results, which showcased our strong financial performance, execution on our growth strategy and transformation, and continued advancement towards our long-term financial targets.
Matt Wilson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Light & Wonder, said, “2023 was a banner year for Light & Wonder. Our businesses delivered double-digit growth across the board throughout the year, enabled by strategic investments and strong execution. We consistently leverage a differentiated product strategy and plan to capitalize on the significant growth opportunities ahead of us. I am thrilled with the momentum we continue to see in the business, and with our winning mentality, experience, and talent in place, we are well-positioned to continue our growth trajectory. I want to congratulate our team on a successful year and know the best is yet to come.”
Oliver Chow, Chief Financial Officer of Light & Wonder, added, “We continue to see healthy trends in the business and were able to capitalize on many of the opportunities presented to us in 2023 to deliver strong top- and bottom-line growth, both in the quarter and for the full year. Our teams continued to deliver quality earnings with improved metrics over the course of 2023. Moving forward, we will focus on driving sustainable growth and executing against our balanced and opportunistic capital allocation strategy with discipline, driving value for all stakeholders.”
LEVERAGE, CAPITAL RETURN AND STRATEGY UPDATE
- Principal face value of debt outstanding(1) of $3.9 billion, translating to net debt leverage ratio(2) of 3.1x as of December 31, 2023, despite the cash outflow required to complete the SciPlay merger. Our net debt leverage ratio decreased 0.2x from December 31, 2022, and remained within our targeted net debt leverage ratio(2) range of 2.5x to 3.5x.
- Returned $25 million of capital to shareholders through the repurchase of approximately 0.3 million shares of L&W common stock during the quarter and $170 million or 2.4 million shares during 2023. Since the initiation of the program, we have returned $575 million of capital to shareholders through the repurchase of approximately 9.4 million shares of L&W common stock, representing 77% of total program authorization.
- Repriced our Term Loan B in January 2024 reducing our interest rate by 35 basis points, resulting in a reduction in annualized interest costs of approximately $8 million.
- SciPlay merger integration completed successfully, with the Company strengthening its cross-platform strategy through synergistic game development processes across all businesses.
SUMMARY RESULTS
Unless otherwise noted, amounts, percentages and discussion included below reflect the results of operations and financial condition of the Company’s continuing operations, which include its Gaming, SciPlay and iGaming businesses. We have reflected our former Lottery business (disposed during the second quarter of 2022) and Sports Betting business (disposed during the third quarter of 2022) (collectively referred to as the “Divestitures”) as discontinued operations.
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Three Months Ended December 31, |
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Year Ended December 31, |
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($ in millions) |
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2023 |
|
|
2022 |
|
|
|
2023 |
|
|
2022 |
|
||
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Revenue |
$ |
770 |
|
$ |
682 |
|
|
$ |
2,902 |
|
$ |
2,512 |
|
||
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Net income (loss) |
|
67 |
|
|
21 |
|
|
|
180 |
|
|
(176 |
) |
||
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Net income attributable to L&W(3) |
|
66 |
|
|
30 |
|
|
|
163 |
|
|
3,675 |
|
||
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Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities(3) |
|
167 |
|
|
(87 |
) |
|
|
590 |
|
|
(381 |
) |
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Capital expenditures |
|
60 |
|
|
58 |
|
|
|
242 |
|
|
216 |
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Non-GAAP Financial Measures |
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Consolidated AEBITDA(2) |
$ |
302 |
|
$ |
265 |
|
|
$ |
1,118 |
|
$ |
913 |
|
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Adjusted NPATA(2) |
|
109 |
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Np |
|
|
388 |
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Np |
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Free cash flow(2)(3) |
|
70 |
|
|
(148 |
) |
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291 |
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(674 |
) |
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As of December 31, |
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Balance Sheet Measures |
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2023 |
|
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2022 |
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|||||
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Cash and cash equivalents |
|
|
|
|
$ |
425 |
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$ |
914 |
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Total debt |
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|
|
|
|
3,874 |
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|
3,894 |
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Available liquidity(4) |
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|
|
|
|
1,165 |
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|
1,802 |
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Np — Prior periods are not presented due to materially different debt and tax profile of the Company prior to the completion of the Divestitures. |
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(1) Principal face value of debt outstanding represents outstanding principal value of debt balances that conform to the presentation found in Note 15 to the consolidated financial statements in our December 31, 2023 Form 10-K. |
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(2) Represents a non-GAAP financial measure. Additional information on non-GAAP financial measures presented herein is available at the end of this release. |
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(3) For the year ended December 31, 2022, these financial measures represent combined results inclusive of discontinued operations. |
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(4) Available liquidity is calculated as cash and cash equivalents plus remaining revolver capacity, including the SciPlay Revolver for the period ended December 31, 2022. As a result of the completion of the SciPlay merger on October 23, 2023, we terminated the SciPlay Revolver, which resulted in a $150 million reduction of our available liquidity. |
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Fourth Quarter 2023 Financial Highlights
- Fourth quarter consolidated revenue was $770 million compared to $682 million, a 13% increase relative to the prior year period driven by double-digit growth across all lines of business, representing an 11th consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth. Gaming revenue increased 13%, driven by another quarter of robust growth in Gaming machine sales, which grew 31% year-over-year, while SciPlay revenue reached another quarterly record and iGaming revenue held at a record level.
- Net income was $67 million compared to $21 million in the prior year period, primarily due to higher revenue and operating income.
- Consolidated AEBITDA(1) was $302 million compared to $265 million, a 14% increase relative to the prior year period, driven by double-digit growth and maintaining strong margins across all of our businesses.
- Adjusted NPATA(1) was $109 million.
- Net cash provided by operating activities was $167 million compared to combined net cash used in operating activities of $(87) million in the prior year period, which was impacted by $176 million in cash taxes paid related to the Divestitures.
- Free cash flow(1) was $70 million compared to combined free cash flow(1) of $(148) million in the prior year period, which was impacted by $176 million in cash taxes paid related to the Divestitures. The current year period was impacted by $16 million primarily in costs supporting the strategic review and related activities associated with the SciPlay merger.
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BUSINESS SEGMENT HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2023 |
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($ in millions) |
Revenue |
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AEBITDA |
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AEBITDA Margin(2)(3) |
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|
|
|
2023 |
|
|
2022 |
|
$ |
|
% |
|
|
2023 |
|
|
|
2022 |
|
|
$ |
|
% |
|
2023 |
|
|
2022 |
|
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PP Change(3) |
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Gaming |
$ |
496 |
|
$ |
438 |
|
$ |
58 |
|
13 |
% |
|
$ |
245 |
|
|
$ |
215 |
|
|
$ |
30 |
|
|
14 |
% |
|
49 |
% |
|
49 |
% |
|
— |
|
|
SciPlay |
|
204 |
|
|
182 |
|
|
22 |
|
12 |
% |
|
|
69 |
|
|
|
59 |
|
|
|
10 |
|
|
17 |
% |
|
34 |
% |
|
32 |
% |
|
2 |
|
|
iGaming |
|
70 |
|
|
62 |
|
|
8 |
|
13 |
% |
|
|
23 |
|
|
|
19 |
|
|
|
4 |
|
|
21 |
% |
|
33 |
% |
|
31 |
% |
|
2 |
|
|
Corporate and other(4) |
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
— |
% |
|
|
(35 |
) |
|
|
(28 |
) |
|
|
(7 |
) |
|
(25 |
)% |
|
n/a |
|
|
n/a |
|
|
n/a |
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Total |
$ |
770 |
|
$ |
682 |
|
$ |
88 |
|
13 |
% |
|
$ |
302 |
|
|
$ |
265 |
|
|
$ |
37 |
|
|
14 |
% |
|
39 |
% |
|
39 |
% |
|
— |
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PP – percentage points. |
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n/a – not applicable. |
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(1) Represents a non-GAAP financial measure. Additional information on non-GAAP financial measures presented herein is available at the end of this release. |
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(2) Segment AEBITDA Margin is calculated as segment AEBITDA as a percentage of segment revenue. |
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(3) As calculations are made using whole dollar numbers, actual results may vary compared to calculations presented in this table. |
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(4) Includes amounts not allocated to the business segments (including corporate costs) and other non-operating expenses (income). |
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Full Year 2023 Financial Highlights
- Consolidated revenue was a record $2.9 billion compared to $2.5 billion in the prior year, a 16% increase. Growth was driven by double-digit revenue growth across all our businesses. Our Gaming business demonstrated continued momentum with Gaming machine sales growing 36% and Table products growing 13%. Consolidated revenue also benefited from SciPlay due to growth of social casino business exceeding that of the market, while iGaming demonstrated strong performance on growth in U.S. and international markets.
- Net income (loss) was $180 million compared to $(176) million in the prior year due to higher revenue and operating income, lower interest expense, and lower loss on debt financing transactions, which was $15 million in the current year and $147 million in the prior year.
- Consolidated AEBITDA(1) was $1.1 billion compared to $913 million in the prior year, a $205 million or 22% increase, primarily due to double-digit revenue growth and margin expansion across all of our businesses.
- Adjusted NPATA(1) was $388 million.
- Net cash provided by operating activities was $590 million compared to combined net cash used in operating activities of $(381) million in the prior year, primarily due to cash taxes paid related to the Divestitures, which were $32 million in the current year and $641 million in the prior year, as well as lower interest payments.
- Free cash flow(1) was $291 million compared to combined free cash flow(1) of $(674) million in the prior year. The prior year combined free cash flow was primarily impacted by $641 million in cash taxes paid related to the Divestitures and $97 million in costs supporting the strategic review and related activities primarily associated with the Divestitures. Current year free cash flow benefited from strong earnings, lower interest payments and strong collections, which was partially offset by $32 million in cash taxes paid related to the Divestitures and $25 million in costs primarily supporting the strategic review and related activities, including those associated with the SciPlay merger.
- Net debt leverage ratio(1) declined to 3.1x from 3.3x at the end of 2022, remaining in our targeted net debt leverage ratio(1) range of 2.5x to 3.5x.
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BUSINESS SEGMENT HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2023 |
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|
($ in millions) |
Revenue |
|
AEBITDA |
|
AEBITDA Margin(2)(3) |
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|
|
|
2023 |
|
|
2022 |
|
$ |
|
% |
|
|
2023 |
|
|
|
2022 |
|
|
$ |
|
% |
|
2023 |
|
|
2022 |
|
|
PP Change(3) |
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|
Gaming |
$ |
1,850 |
|
$ |
1,601 |
|
$ |
249 |
|
16 |
% |
|
$ |
918 |
|
|
$ |
767 |
|
|
$ |
151 |
|
|
20 |
% |
|
50 |
% |
|
48 |
% |
|
2 |
|
|
SciPlay |
|
777 |
|
|
671 |
|
|
106 |
|
16 |
% |
|
|
243 |
|
|
|
187 |
|
|
|
56 |
|
|
30 |
% |
|
31 |
% |
|
28 |
% |
|
3 |
|
|
iGaming |
|
275 |
|
|
240 |
|
|
35 |
|
15 |
% |
|
|
95 |
|
|
|
80 |
|
|
|
15 |
|
|
19 |
% |
|
35 |
% |
|
33 |
% |
|
2 |
|
|
Corporate and other(4) |
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
— |
% |
|
|
(138 |
) |
|
|
(121 |
) |
|
|
(17 |
) |
|
(14 |
)% |
|
n/a |
|
|
n/a |
|
|
n/a |
|
|
Total |
$ |
2,902 |
|
$ |
2,512 |
|
$ |
390 |
|
16 |
% |
|
$ |
1,118 |
|
|
$ |
913 |
|
|
$ |
205 |
|
|
22 |
% |
|
39 |
% |
|
36 |
% |
|
3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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|
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|
PP – percentage points. |
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|
n/a – not applicable. |
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(1) Represents a non-GAAP financial measure. Additional information on non-GAAP financial measures presented herein is available at the end of this release. |
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(2) Segment AEBITDA margin is calculated as segment AEBITDA as a percentage of segment revenue. |
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(3) As calculations are made using whole dollar numbers, actual results may vary compared to calculations presented in this table. |
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(4) Includes amounts not allocated to the business segments (including corporate costs) and other non-operating expenses (income). |
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Fourth Quarter 2023 Business Segments Key Highlights
- Gaming revenue increased to $496 million, up 13% compared to the prior year period, primarily driven by global Gaming machine sales growth of 31%, while Gaming operations revenue increased 7% benefiting from year-over-year growth in our North American installed base and average daily revenue per unit, which increased to $47.91. Strong content performance and continued success of our COSMIC™ and MURAL® cabinets validated our strong investment in our R&D engine, which will support long-term growth. Our North American premium installed base grew for the 14th consecutive quarter, representing 47% of our total installed base mix. Gaming AEBITDA was $245 million, up 14% compared to the prior year period, primarily driven by revenue growth in the period.
- SciPlay revenue was $204 million, a 12% increase from the prior year period, once again achieving record quarterly revenue. SciPlay AEBITDA was $69 million, up 17% compared to the prior year period with AEBITDA margin improving two percentage points, reflective of continuing revenue growth, partially offset by higher marketing spend. Growth was primarily driven by the core social casino business, which continued to deliver record player engagement and monetization leveraging game content, dynamic Live Ops and effective marketing strategies. SciPlay maintained its number of payers around 0.6 million and achieved its highest ever AMRPPU(1), enabling SciPlay to grow ARPDAU(2) by 15% year-over-year to a record $1.00 and to achieve record payer conversion of 10.7%.
- iGaming revenue increased 13% to $70 million and AEBITDA grew 21% from the prior year period with continued growth momentum in the U.S. and international markets. Wagers processed through our iGaming platform have increased to $21.6 billion in the fourth quarter. In October 2023, we launched our live casino operations in Michigan.
- Capital expenditures were $60 million in the fourth quarter of 2023.
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(1) Average Monthly Revenue Per Paying User. |
|
(2) Average Revenue Per Daily Active User. |
Earnings Conference Call
As previously announced, Light & Wonder executive leadership will host a conference call on Tuesday, February 27, 2024 at 4:30 p.m. EST to review the Company’s fourth quarter and full year 2023 results. To access the call live via a listen-only webcast and presentation, please visit explore.investors.lnw.com and click on the webcast link under the Events and Presentations section. To access the call by telephone, please dial: +1 (833) 470-1428 for U.S., +61 2 7908-3093 for Australia or +1 (404) 975-4839 for International and ask to join the Light & Wonder call using conference ID: 587006. A replay of the webcast will be archived in the Investors section on www.lnw.com.
About Light & Wonder
Light & Wonder, Inc. is the leading cross-platform global games company. Through our three unique, yet highly complementary businesses, we deliver unforgettable experiences by combining the exceptional talents of our 6,000+ member team, with a deep understanding of our customers and players. We create immersive content that forges lasting connections with players, wherever they choose to engage. At Light & Wonder, it’s all about the games. The Company is committed to the highest standards of integrity, from promoting player responsibility to implementing sustainable practices. To learn more visit www.lnw.com.
You can access our filings with the Securities Exchange Commission (“SEC”) through the SEC website at www.sec.gov, with the Australian Stock Exchange (“ASX”) through the ASX website at www.asx.com.au or through our website, and we strongly encourage you to do so. We routinely post information that may be important to investors on our website at explore.investors.lnw.com, and we use our website as a means of disclosing material information to the public in a broad, non-exclusionary manner for purposes of the SEC’s Regulation Fair Disclosure.
The information contained on, or that may be accessed through, our website is not incorporated by reference into, and is not a part of, this document, and shall not be deemed “filed” under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
All ® notices signify marks registered in the United States. © 2024 Light & Wonder, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Forward-Looking Statements
In this press release, Light & Wonder makes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements describe future expectations, plans, results or strategies and can often be identified by the use of terminology such as “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “continue,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “target,” “should,” “could,” “potential,” “opportunity,” “goal,” or similar terminology. These statements are based upon current Company management (“Management”) expectations, assumptions and estimates and are not guarantees of timing, future results or performance. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Actual results may differ materially from those contemplated in these statements due to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors, including, among other things:
- our inability to successfully execute our strategy;
- slow growth of new gaming jurisdictions, slow addition of casinos in existing jurisdictions and declines in the replacement cycle of gaming machines;
- risks relating to foreign operations, including anti-corruption laws, fluctuations in currency rates, restrictions on the payment of dividends from earnings, restrictions on the import of products and financial instability;
- difficulty predicting what impact, if any, new tariffs imposed by and other trade actions taken by the U.S. and foreign jurisdictions could have on our business;
- U.S. and international economic and industry conditions, including increases in benchmark interest rates and the effects of inflation;
- public perception of our response to environmental, social and governance issues;
- the effects of health epidemics, contagious disease outbreaks and public perception thereof;
- changes in, or the elimination of, our share repurchase program;
- resulting pricing variations and other impacts of our common stock being listed to trade on more than one stock exchange;
- level of our indebtedness, higher interest rates, availability or adequacy of cash flows and liquidity to satisfy indebtedness, other obligations or future cash needs;
- inability to further reduce or refinance our indebtedness;
- restrictions and covenants in debt agreements, including those that could result in acceleration of the maturity of our indebtedness;
- competition;
- inability to win, retain or renew, or unfavorable revisions of, existing contracts, and the inability to enter into new contracts;
- risks and uncertainties of potential changes in U.K. gaming legislation, including any new or revised licensing and taxation regimes, responsible gambling requirements and/or sanctions on unlicensed providers;
- inability to adapt to, and offer products that keep pace with, evolving technology, including any failure of our investment of significant resources in our R&D efforts;
- the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted following completion of the SciPlay merger;
- failure to retain key Management and employees;
- unpredictability and severity of catastrophic events, including but not limited to acts of terrorism, war, armed conflicts or hostilities, the impact such events may have on our customers, suppliers, employees, consultants, business partners or operations, as well as Management’s response to any of the aforementioned factors;
- changes in demand for our products and services;
- dependence on suppliers and manufacturers;
- SciPlay’s dependence on certain key providers;
- ownership changes and consolidation in the gaming industry;
- fluctuations in our results due to seasonality and other factors;
- risks as a result of being publicly traded in the United States and Australia, including price variations and other impacts relating to the secondary listing of the Company’s common stock on the Australian Securities Exchange;
- the possibility that we may be unable to achieve expected operational, strategic and financial benefits of the SciPlay merger;
- security and integrity of our products and systems, including the impact of any security breaches or cyber-attacks;
- protection of our intellectual property, inability to license third-party intellectual property and the intellectual property rights of others;
- reliance on or failures in information technology and other systems;
- litigation and other liabilities relating to our business, including litigation and liabilities relating to our contracts and licenses, our products and systems, our employees (including labor disputes), intellectual property, environmental laws and our strategic relationships;
- reliance on technological blocking systems;
- challenges or disruptions relating to the completion of the domestic migration to our enterprise resource planning system;
- laws and government regulations, both foreign and domestic, including those relating to gaming, data privacy and security, including with respect to the collection, storage, use, transmission and protection of personal information and other consumer data, and environmental laws, and those laws and regulations that affect companies conducting business on the internet, including online gambling;
- legislative interpretation and enforcement, regulatory perception and regulatory risks with respect to gaming, especially internet wagering and social gaming;
- changes in tax laws or tax rulings, or the examination of our tax positions;
- opposition to legalized gaming or the expansion thereof and potential restrictions on internet wagering;
- significant opposition in some jurisdictions to interactive social gaming, including social casino gaming and how such opposition could lead these jurisdictions to adopt legislation or impose a regulatory framework to govern interactive social gaming or social casino gaming specifically, and how this could result in a prohibition on interactive social gaming or social casino gaming altogether, restrict our ability to advertise our games, or substantially increase our costs to comply with these regulations;
- expectations of shift to regulated digital gaming;
- inability to develop successful products and services and capitalize on trends and changes in our industries, including the expansion of internet and other forms of digital gaming;
- the continuing evolution of the scope of data privacy and security regulations, and our belief that the adoption of increasingly restrictive regulations in this area is likely within the U.S. and other jurisdictions;
- incurrence of restructuring costs;
- goodwill impairment charges including changes in estimates or judgments related to our impairment analysis of goodwill or other intangible assets;
- stock price vola
Contacts
Media Relations
Andy Fouché +1 206-697-3678
Vice President, Corporate Communications
media@lnw.com
Investor Relations
Nick Zangari +1 702-301-4378
Senior Vice President, Investor Relations
ir@lnw.com