Betsson CEO Pontus Lindwall revealed that as the firm continues to build on momentum into 2026, it remains in a strong position to conclude M&A deals.
Lindwall also detailed that the company continues to have ambitions to grow its B2B footprint, amidst “continued investments in the product and technology organisation”.
At the heart of the decision is the company’s ambition to strengthen the customer experience and boost long-term competitiveness, which led to “higher personnel costs”.
An increase in gaming taxes across globally regulated markets ensured Betsson underwent a tougher period to close, which was otherwise a very strong year of growth for the firm.
It comes amidst Betsson intensifying its focus on fully regulated markets, inevitably also culminating in an increase in tax expenditure.
However, the firm is shifting in the right direction with it now reportedly generating 68% of its revenue from locally regulated markets, up from 60% in 2024.
“Higher gaming taxes and increased personnel costs had a negative impact on profitability and operating income during the quarter,” the CEO said. “Despite the lower profitability, Betsson stands strong operationally with a competitive product offering, increasing brand awareness and technology at the forefront.”
Overall, Betsson will be buoyed by the momentum that it built in 2025, in spite of a slowing of the pace at the end of the year. Furthermore, casino continues to be a segment for the firm that grows, even as other verticals endure a challenging period.
In terms of markets, Lindwall stated: “Regionally, we saw continued good growth in Western Europe and Latin America, but a slowdown in the Nordic region and CEECA.
“B2C revenue continued to increase, thanks to successful product and marketing investments, while B2B revenue was lower than the comparison period last year.
“The decline was mainly due to one of Betsson’s B2B customers having lower revenue than in the corresponding period in the previous year.”
Looking ahead, he added: “Our strong financial position provides us with good conditions to invest in long-term, profitable growth and to deliver returns for our shareholders.”
“We are entering 2026 with a number of activities that provide good conditions for growth. We are also looking forward with great anticipation to the FIFA World Cup, where a record number of matches and participating nations will create exciting opportunities for betting and for attracting new customers.
“The investments made in recent years, as well as our pipeline of projects for 2026, support our ambition to continue to generate long-term shareholder value,” he concluded.
