The UK government has raised remote gaming duty (RGD) from 15% to 21%. This was better than recent rumours of 25%, but 1% higher than market expectations of 20%. With implementation from October 2019 (rather than April), we raise our FY19e EBITDA by 5%. However, assuming no mitigation, we lower our FY20e EBITDA by £3m to £14.5m. While regulatory pressures are likely to remain a feature of the UK gaming sector, Stride is the number three online bingo-led operator and should benefit from its strong market position. The balance sheet is robust (£20m net cash) and, despite the increased taxes, we expect strong cash flow through synergies and strategic growth. The stock has fallen 58% this year and trades at depressed levels of 3.6x EV/EBITDA and 5.8x P/E for CY19e.
