In the six months ending Dec. 31, 2010, Tatts Group Ltd. posted a net profit of AUS $149.91m, up 3.4% over the previous year. First half revenue was up 17.4% to $1.62b, assisted by its purchase of NSW Lotteries in March. Tatts expects earnings from lotteries will surpass $240m by 2014 – a ten-fold increase over what it earned in 2006. Tatts video poker operations contributed earnings of $103.6m, but with their duopoly ending in 2012, Tatts plans to sell the machines to the companies that won entitlements to run pokies post-2012. Tatts estimates that the floods that recently ravaged Queensland and Victoria cut wagering, lottery and other revenues by $1m.
Tabcorp has inked a deal with Satellite Information Services (SIS) to bring more Australasian racing to retail betting shops in the UK and Ireland. Live pictures and data from Australasian thoroughbred, harness and greyhound racing will now receive greater exposure via Tabcorp’s Sky Racing channels. With more punters watching and betting on down under races, the next step will be to co-mingle these UK bets with Tabcorp’s betting pools – as Tabcorp already does in Singapore, New Zealand and South Africa. Closer to home, TAB Sportsbet inked a deal with Greyhound Racing NSW to produce a weekly program on TheDogsTV.com called Chasing The Dollar, providing punters with a first look at the weekend’s premier races.