Sportingbet has released a trading update ahead of both Q4 and preliminary results being released later this year. They reported that the acquisition of Centrebet is “expected to complete at the end of August” with shareholders at the Australian company set to vote on the acquisition on August 17. They explained that acquiring the business is in line with their “strategy of increasing the proportion of its business derived from regulated markets.”
That was one of the reasons why they pulled out of the Turkish market earlier this year and much of it is geared towards the proposed takeover by Ladbrokes. The Lads have remained tight-lipped about any approach. It’s believed that pulling out of that market may force them to show their hand.
The release also iterated that, “The Group continues to monitor regulatory developments closely and expects to take advantage as markets move towards implementing regulation.”
One of the leading companies in the mobile gambling industry, Probability, has reported an impressive set of results for the financial year ended 31 March 2011. The year saw 175,000 new registrations and many were thanks to the increased take-up of smartphones and related devices across Europe.
CEO Charles Cohen commented, “We made real strides this year, generating operating profits in the last quarter as we enjoyed the first benefits of lower operating costs following our move to Gibraltar and increasing our customer acquisition for LadyLuck’s – the group’s primary UK facing brand. Smartphones have also made a huge impact on our business this year, helping to turn mobile from a niche to a mass market opportunity.”
Add to this the fact that iPhone and Android customers now represent 37% of in-game deposits and it explains why the company’s net gaming revenue increased by 14% to £5.37m from £4.72m last year.
Cohen added, “With trading in the new financial year already looking very strong, with new product launches planned for this year and increased interest in our B2B offering, we have every confidence that we can turn our first mover advantage into a serious and sustainable market position in regulated markets globally.”
