Bookmaker’s operating profit rises

Leading British bookmaker William Hill said its full 2014 operating profit rose 11 per cent to £371m, despite the fact that fourth quarter revenues suffered due to unfavorable football and horse racing results.

By The Newsroom

Published 20th Jan 2015, 10:00 BST

The company said the rise in operating profit was due to a successful World Cup and good growth in net revenues from online and from operations in Australia and the United States.

“In Q4, generally weaker sporting results in December impacted our revenue progression, as did a very tough November comparative, but gaming continued to grow,” said James Henderson, chief executive of William Hill.

The company did not disclose figures aside from its 2014 operating profit. William Hill said it would be rebranding all of its existing Australian trading operations under the William Hill brand, which it expects to commence in February. The company intends to invest an incremental £5m in marketing and other costs to launch its brand.

William Hill is a major employer in Yorkshire with 3,000 staff, including 1,300 in Leeds.