KUALA LUMPUR (May 20): Sports Toto Bhd (KL:SPTOTO) posted a 54.3% year-on-year rise in net profit for its third quarter, thanks to the surge of punters that tried their luck for the Supreme 6/58 jackpot.

The net profit for the three months ended March 31, 2025 (3QFY2025) doubled to RM105.66 million from RM68.45 million in the same period a year earlier, according to the number forecast operator’s (NFO) bourse filing on Tuesday.

The net profit was the highest in 12 years, since the RM112.59 million reported for 2QFY2013.

Quarterly revenue, meanwhile, hit an all-time high of RM1.91 billion and was up 12.54% compared with RM1.69 billion in 3QFY2024.

Sports Toto declared a third interim dividend of two sen, payable on July 18.

The group attributed the boost in earnings to the strong performance of NFO unit STM Lottery Sdn Bhd. Despite the same number of draws as in 3QFY2024, the company logged higher revenue driven by “an exceptional surge in the accumulated jackpot from Supreme Toto 6/58”.

The higher revenue, coupled with a lower prize payout, resulted in the jump in the bottom line.

For the first nine months of FY2025, Sports Toto logged a 28.7% increase in net profit to RM196.67 million versus RM152.83 million in the same period a year ago. Cumulative revenue edged up 3.7% to RM4.83 billion from RM4.66 billion.

Looking ahead, Sports Toto said the group expects the NFO business to continue its upward trajectory in per-draw sales growth driven by favourable consumer spending and consumer interest in the jackpot games.

“Despite the prevailing uncertainties and global economic headwinds, including trade protectionism and the inflationary tariff impact, the directors are confident that the group will continue its lead in terms of market share in the NFO market and the group’s businesses are expected to be encouraging and maintain a positive outlook for the remaining quarter of the financial year ending June 30, 2025,” it said.

Speaking on the closure of legal NFO outlets in Kedah and Perlis, Sports Toto said its directors are concerned with the continued encroachment of illegal operators in the underserved areas.

Shares in Sports Toto ended one sen or 0.74% at RM1.35, valuing the group at RM1.82 billion.