Praesepe Share Discussion Threads

[divinausa1] 07/3/2011 07:48

i think share price is at silly levels i have been buying...

[jpjp100] 07/3/2011 07:30

Edison has been a follower from the start - its updates are a reasonable read

[divinausa1] 06/3/2011 10:16

buy rec from Edison

[jpjp100] 01/3/2011 15:44

Another deal announced concerning Agora. Not a straightforward acquisition but a step towards one.



And a trading update that is very cautious - good to see no downside reaction in the share price: I have seen shares tumble on more positive announcements than that!

Does anyone know who is behind Baleday?

[divinausa1] 01/3/2011 11:47

At what stage do you think we get a realistic valuation here?

[jpjp100] 21/2/2011 07:38

New adviser and broker appointed - Liberum Capital Ltd

Expecting them to be a bit more proactive than the last lot (Oriel)

[divinausa1] 20/2/2011 12:49

wont be long before we are back above 14p imo
cant believe the low valuation here i bought a few more this month...

[jpjp100] 16/2/2011 05:23

no significant harm from the Gambling Prevalence report published yesterday

its on the gamblingcommission.gov.uk site if anyone really wants to read it...

[divinausa1] 12/2/2011 23:23

i dont see why the government will give a no to B3s as the lottery has HUGE jackpots, anyone who wants to gamble will gamble at the end of the day...

[plunge] 12/2/2011 20:49

Latest Bulletin Box - 6 February 2011

Into February already and we were delighted that the snow held off in January and that business wasn't disrupted in any way. January is the trade show month for the slot gaming business in the UK with the trade association, BACTA, holding its EAG show at Excel and the ICE show (International Casino Exhibition) running at Earls Court at the same time. Consequently much time spent shuttling between the two attending meetings and looking for new products. The two shows used to be combined under one roof and there must be a good argument for BACTA to strike a deal with the owners of the ICE show and put the two shows back together? As one of the largest operators of gaming machines in the UK we see most new products at what is called 'Beta' test stage and therefore there are seldom any surprises for us at the shows (if there are then I am usually asking why!) but it is very useful to be able to view products with our peer group and to also talk directly to techies and sales people with the various manufacturers and understand the thinking behind new ideas. The one area that we don't receive test equipment for is the FEC or seaside arcades, of which we now have four. Nigel Davis, our top Machine Manager made a fair impression of a whirling dervish as he moved up and down the aisles of both shows ensuring that he had seen every last video and novelty game available and that orders were placed as appropriate in time for launch at Easter. The industry is currently holding its breath for confirmation of the date of implementation of the new stake level on B3 gaming machines. Consultation with government finished on January 25th, and European consultation finishes on March 17th and as such it is conceivable that we could get the green light on this important change by the end of March. My personal view is that implementation could then be in April/May but it is currently in the lap of the gods! The proposal is for a change to the maximum stake allowed on B3s to move it to £2 and to also have a proportionate amount of B3 machines to (category) C and D. This would be very helpful indeed. On February 15th the DCMS will release details of the latest 'Prevalence Study' into the rates of problem gambling in the UK. Currently the UK has one of the lowest rates in the world, driven in my view by the fact that we have one of the oldest gaming industries and the vast majority of UK gamblers are very sensible in what they commit to spend on entertainment. I am close to the problem gambling support providers in the UK, being a Trustee of the GREaT Foundation and also a long term supporter of Gamcare and I personally don't expect there to be any statistically significant changes in the incidence of problem gambling. This in itself will be important news to government and ought to encourage them to support an industry sector that employs over 100,000 people in the UK (and provides billions in tax revenues) in a way that the last government seemed incapable of doing. Lastly, we are shortly to launch a brand new bingo product on the High street and I will report on this once we have the first trials completed. We have been changing our licences (for our High street venues) over the past year and now have 40 of what we call 'Micro bingo clubs' in readiness for this. Watch this space! Have a great February! Nick Harding 6th February 2011

[divinausa1] 01/2/2011 00:58

UK/Europe / home based AIM market companies should do well this year they seem to have been overlooked, not sure why PRA are trading at such a low valaution anyways this backs up my thoughts

[freddie01] 31/1/2011 18:19

Praesepe plc is one of the fastest growing companies in the UK gaming industry operating Adult Gaming Centres, Family Entertainment Centres and Bingo clubs across the country as well as having an online presence. Our portfolio of venues includes the Crystal Rooms in London's Leicester Square and the largest bingo club in the country, Beacon Bingo in Cricklewood.


Due to extensive growth plans we are acquiring businesses on an almost continual basis and as such, we are looking to develop and strengthen our finance team to support the various business assets now being added to our portfolio. We require people with previous gaming industry experience to join the most exciting company in our sector, in every finance discipline from payroll to purchase ledger and at all levels from clerks to controllers.


Ideally you will have experience of working within the gaming sector either now or previously, but alternatively you could work within a hospitality/leisure environment, preferably for a large, multi-site retail/leisure business. You should be able to demonstrate excellent communication skills, with the ability to sustain effective work relationships with a diverse range of people, both internally and externally.

[ukinvestor220] 27/1/2011 09:24

Latest Bulletin Box Jan 3rd:
A very Happy and prosperous New Year from all at Praesepe to all our (web site)readers and to our many shareholders. We achieved a great deal in 2010, integrating a number of acquisitions (including the transformational Beacon deal) and the new management team has come together very well at its new offices in Milton Keynes. A really solid base has been created in a relatively short time and that base will also provide a springboard (nothing like mixed metaphor!) as we move into 2011. Watch this space! 2011 is going to be exciting ( of course) and I look forward to more changes to our business as the UK operations teams really start to leverage both their knowledge and the support that we can give them. Steve Lawrence now has 100 (agc/fec/micro bingo) venues in his portfolio and Kevin Hamilton has six quality bingo clubs and an on-line virtual bingo club which is now really starting to build up a head of steam. Both of these guys are experienced operators and will be maximising opportunities to grow profits in 2011. We are now waiting with bated breath to see what the government 'prevalence study' into problem gambling shows since the last survey in 2008. The report is due in February and I don't anticipate any seismic shifts in trends and expect the UK to still have one of the lowest rates of problem gambling in the world. The one area of concern might come from the B2 gaming machines operated by bookmakers in the UK but we will have to wait and see what the results tell us. I sincerely hope that the government continues to back the gaming industry in the UK as a fundamental part of the leisure and hospitality industry and its commitment to the all important changes to the B3 machines (operated by Bingo clubs and AGC venues) is expedited swiftly. Any of our readers shareholders who would like a copy of our new in house magazine 'The Sentinel' is very welcome to have one. Issue one has just been published and an e-mail to my secretary Jackie Taylor at [e-mail] is all that is required. Kind regards, Nick Harding January 3rd 2011.

[freddie01] 22/1/2011 23:23

This is a bit different.

[freddie01] 16/1/2011 20:07

Apologies jpjp100. Hadn't seen that note before. Bit cheeky though whoever pinched it.

I saw the tote link and thought also it was a very long shot so never posted it.

[jpjp100] 16/1/2011 18:23

long odds on that one imo

[plunge] 16/1/2011 18:11

Perhaps PRA is concentrating its efforts elsewhere and may have its sights set on the Tote

[jpjp100] 16/1/2011 17:49

I wonder who robbed my original note to make it appear on that link? I am pretty sure I posted it here myself previously on this thread...

I don't mind, but its a touch out of date now. The number of shares in issue is going to be much more than the 400m I noted at the time of writing. Other than that, it wasn't a bad bit of writing for the time


Incidentally, there is a piece attributed to the Mail on Sunday suggesting that Brian Fraser is close to buying Buckingham



Until the terms of the deal are known (and they might never be), its not possible to decide if this is good or bad for PRA. I expect PRA did have a close look, maybe Fraser has deeper pockets (i.e. is not still digesting Beacon) or maybe he just wanted it more... I'd rather PRA waslked away from negotiations rather than into a bidding war that made the price too high.

A European deal would be more value imo

[freddie01] 14/1/2011 15:53

Beacon Bingo's Super Star escalator jackpot crosses £100,000



Visit BeaconBingoThe Super Star escalator jackpot is now over £100,000 and is waiting to be won at Beacon Bingo. Starting on 17th January 2011, the amount of calls needed to win will go up by one a day and keep going up until it's won at Beacon Bingo. Sign up now and get a 100% Cash Match bonus at Beacon Bingo.

[jpjp100] 13/1/2011 07:31

if it had some volume behind it, there would be cause to worry

VAT impact is going to be negative of course and it wouldn't be a surprise if the bingo clubs lost a few sessions to the snow

other than that, who knows

[sscrabble] 12/1/2011 11:00

Bad news coming - why the steady fall ?