Ladbrokes reports resilient trading at UK shops

Ladbrokes said punters staked nearly £13bn (€15.7bn) in its UK shops last year as the high street bookie continued to defy the economic squeeze.

Over-the-counter betting was "resilient", the chain said, after it attracted wagers worth almost £2.5bn (€3bn), while gaming machines drew almost £10.5bn (€12.66bn) from punters, an increase of 13.7% on a year earlier.