William Hill bets on football World Cup

Bookmaker William Hill today said its profits for last year were likely to be above expectations as it looked forward to a strong 2006 buoyed by betting on the football World Cup.

The City had earlier indicated that the group, which is neck-and-neck with Ladbrokes as the UK’s biggest bookie, would make pre-tax profits of between £230m (€335m) and £240m (€350m) before exceptional items.