NZ HARNESS NEWS
The New Zealand Racing Board (NZRB) today announced an underlying operating profit for the first half of 2017/18 of $83.4 million, up $2.8 million or 3.4% on last year.
The figure excludes the net impact of strategic initiatives costs and benefits of $4.4 million.
Including the planned investment and associated benefits from the strategic initiatives, reported net profit was $79.0 million, $1.1 million (1.4%) below last year however this was $2.9 million above budget.
“Successful customer acquisition campaigns, growth in digital channels and increased betting from high-staking Elite customers has seen a growth in total revenue to $188.1 million, up 3.2% on last year,” said NZRB Chief Executive, John Allen.
“Our rolling average monthly active account bettors grew to more than 106,000 per month over the 12 months to January 2018, up 16.4% on the previous 12-month period, and in January 2018 alone there were 112,250 active customers betting, up 19.5% on last year.
“The Spring customer acquisition campaign run across the second quarter delivered a massive 23,737 new customers, up 28% on target.
“These newly acquired customers continue to bet regularly with the TAB.”
Allen noted that operating expenses were up 1.4% to $68.4 million due to investment in technology platforms and compliance costs, while staff, broadcasting and property costs have been slashed by an unspecified amount.
He also confirmed an 11.5% increase in funding distributions to the racing industry, which equates to an extra $9.1 million on last year for a total of $88.2 million.
- NZ Harness News
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
Driving The Future Of Harness Racing
