Evoke chief financial officer Sean Wilkins has confirmed the group is deliberately prioritising higher-value players over raw customer volume following a notable decline in active users.
The operator reported a 6% year-on-year fall in active customer numbers during the first half of 2026, prompting questions about whether the drop reflected a strategic choice.
Wilkins addressed the issue directly during the company’s H1 earnings call, making clear the decline was not simply a consequence of market conditions but an intentional shift in approach.
He explained the strategy was focused on “getting significant value from our players”, with Evoke targeting both average revenue per user and margin improvements simultaneously.
“We are working extremely hard,” Wilkins said. “It’s been a key part of our strategy to make sure we’re getting significant value from our players, we’re driving ARPU, and that we’re also driving margin within driving ARPU.”
Wilkins confirmed the approach had been in place for three years and was “definitely paying dividend”, signalling confidence in the long-term direction the company has taken.
Part of the active customer decline was attributed to weaker performance in specific markets, with Romania and Spain identified as the two most significant problem areas during the period.
Romania has faced increased duties, greater leakage to the black market, and negative economic growth, while Spain has continued to struggle with its product offering, though improvements were made last quarter.
The sportsbook numbers from Evoke’s H1 results illustrate the value-focused approach clearly, with stakes down 9% but margin rising 60 basis points to 13.3% across the period.
Wilkins stressed the margin improvement was not simply the result of favourable sports results, but instead reflected a deliberate concentration on higher-margin betting products throughout the half.
“We have intentionally been focused on the higher margin products, particularly Accas and Bet Builders,” he said, adding that the sportsbook product had been significantly improved across UK and international markets.
William Hill Vegas also made notable gains during H1, benefitting from cross-selling activity during the World Cup across both existing customer cohorts and newly acquired players.
“We’ve seen both improvements in existing cohorts and new customers,” Wilkins said. “Those customers certainly get cross-sold onto the gaming.”
Wilkins reinforced that customer lifecycle management sits at the very top of Evoke’s strategic priorities, describing it as central to everything the operator is currently trying to achieve.
“Number one on our strategic pillars was always customer lifecycle management, and this is at the heart of customer lifecycle management,” he said, underlining the group’s long-term commitment to the strategy.
