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Betbrokers trebles turnover
Fri 28 Sep 2007
LONDON (SHARECAST) - Betbrokers edged high today as the broker and clearing house for the sports betting industry tripled half year turnover and said the next 12 months promises further significant growth.
The AIM listed group reported a loss of £1.38m for the six months ended 30 June, out from £1.22m the year before, but revenue soared to £771,887 from £234,752.
The Voice Broking and Clearing House were the main drivers of the first half, said the firm, with cost control and client acquisition boosting gross profit by 178% to £565,000.
Operating costs for the period were £1.97m, up from £1.44m the year before due to increased regulatory costs, AIM float costs, increased advertising and marketing expenditure and other consultancy spend.
Betbrokers admitted that expected growth was held back partly by external factors such as the weather, with 18% of all racing fixtures cancelled in the four weeks to 24 July.
“This has had a temporary impact on the growth rate of the business, although the board remains confident that the core business is strong,” it said.
The focus for the second half is to bring the revenues for Voice Broking to cover the operating costs for the entire business, it added. This means all new businesses will enter service with their operating costs already covered, providing maximum profit margin.
Chairman and chief executive Wayne Lochner said, “The next stage of our development will be to bring the first phases of our data services to our client base (Winning Edge and Gold Sheet), and to introduce Spread Betting, Binary Betting and Casino services.”
Yesterday, the company completed the $6.5m purchase of Las Vegas-based sports information and tipping service Winning Edge.
It said today that further acquisitions are being considered, but only where they can advance the group’s strategic targets and have an immediate improvement on profitability. |
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