GVC results sends stock soaring; Betway targets UK with ambitious ad campaign; Lads worker to get counseling

news-in-brief-may-21Malta licensed GVC Holdings saw a small rise in total revenue as they posted results for the six months to Dec. 31, 2012. GVC raked in €33.2million in the period mentioned, which was an increase on the €28.1m the firm made in the previous year’s six month period with daily net revenues up 8 percent to €166k. Much of this was down to the company’s B2B division that has been running for just over a year as part of the deal they entered into when they took over Sportingbet’s Turkish business. Sports gross margin also increased from 11.1 percent in 2011 to 11.4 percent this year and all this comes ahead of the conclusion of a takeover of Sportingbet, alongside William Hill. The trading update coincided with the company’s shares returning to the stock market earlier today with the market liking what they saw so much the price immediately rose 16.7 percent to 272.50p.

European betting firm Betway will spend upwards of £10million on advertising in 2013 as they look to penetrate the UK gambling industry. MandM Global report that Betway will spend £7.45m on a TV campaign in the UK with the remainder of the budget split across Spain, Italy and Denmark. “Our first foray in to TV advertising in the UK has been highly successful and has added substantially to our player numbers,” says The Betway Group chief executive Richard Akitt. “We intend to emulate and indeed build on this success next year in the UK where we are gathering momentum against our competitors.”

Bookmaker Ladbrokes will organize counseling for a counter worker that was threatened by a man who eventually died in a branch in Plymouth. Lads director of public affairs Ciaran O’Brien confirmed the company “do provide counseling and specialist support for staff and will be doing so on this instance”. The incident occurred on Friday when former prisoner Alan Levers burst into the premises in a WWII-style gasmask demanding cash. After getting the cash he was tackled to the floor and was unconscious when police arrived. It’s unclear what happened in-between him being tackled and falling unconscious with the police still investigating.