Winvia Entertainment, which runs online prize-draw competitions including Best of the Best alongside an online gaming business, upgraded full-year Adjusted EBITDA guidance today above current market expectations. Shares jumped 8.08% in response, and the group also declared a 5.0p per share interim dividend as half-year profit surged.

Winvia shares rose from Friday’s close of 247.5p to 267.5p today, having opened at 257.5p after the pre-market results. Adjusted EBITDA, a measure of underlying operating profit, rose 7.5% to £17.2m for the six months to the 30th of June, from £16.0m a year earlier.

The jump masks a deliberate strategic shift. Winvia increased marketing and prize spend in Prize Draw Competitions to £14.0m, from £2.6m a year earlier, pushing that segment to a £1.0m Adjusted EBITDA loss versus a £6.2m profit in HY25. The spending shifted Best of the Best towards a recurring subscription model, BOTB Pass, with subscription revenue reaching over 35% of monthly BOTB revenue by the 30th of June, enough to cover all prize costs, a milestone reached ahead of schedule.

The payoff is already visible: the segment posted its best-ever monthly Adjusted EBITDA in August and is expected to trend near £2m a month in the fourth quarter. Online Gaming, the group’s other segment, kept growing profitably, with revenue up 54.6% to £88.7m and Adjusted EBITDA up 96.2% to £20.4m. Group net revenue rose 42.7% to £109.7m.