GOOD SECOND QUARTER FOR BETSSON

8 August 2008

And that Stockholm land betting shop is still operating...


Reports and challenges from Swedish betting officialdom appear to have done little to halt the success of Betsson's land betting shop, opened in Stockholm earlier this year and still going strong, according to Q2: 2008 results released this week.

The confident Swedish online gambling group reported a 63 percent rise in revenues to SEK 236.9 million (SEK145.6 million in Q2:2007) while operating income increased 29 percent to SEK 60.1 million (Q2:2007 SEK 47.2 million).

The new betting shop, together with a revamped Internet sportsbook offering delivered income before taxes of SEK 61.4 million (Q2: 2007 SEK 47.6 million) with income after tax reaching SEK 57.2 million (43.4 million last time).

“The second quarter is normally weaker than the first quarter,” said Pontus Lindwall, Chief Executive Officer for Betsson, explaining that the use of good offers to customers has enabled the company to maintain and even increase activities during the second quarter, making it the strongest quarter so far.

Betsson.com also recently launched in Serbia and the Netherlands but it is Scandinavia that remains the firm’s largest market with 59 percent of gross profits, while the remainder of Europe accounted for 41 percent. The report suggests that the trend is shifting towards a larger percentage from the rest of Europe.

Online casino action delivered a 102 percent increase in gross profits, but this solid result was overshadowed by the 274 percent increase from the Betsson sportsbook, while poker was down, declining 25 percent compared with the same quarter last year.

Betsson's casino activities now account for 60 percent of its gross profits, followed by poker at 19 percent and sportsbook operations with 18 percent.

Looking at the six months to June 30, revenues have increased over the first half 2007 by 58 percent to SEK 464.7 million, with operating income up 26 percent to SEK 116.9 million. Income before taxes amounted to SEK 118.9 million, and after taxes SEK 110.8 million.

Online Casino News courtesy of InfoPowa