Online activity sees William Hill profits rise

The rise of online betting continued to boost William Hill today after the bookmaker reported a 19% jump in first-quarter profits.

Alongside a “robust” performance from its traditional over-the-counter operations, the group said turnover from online sportsbook bets exceeded £50m (€61.1m) in a single week for the first time during the quarter.

Mobile device turnover reached £11m (€13.4m) in a single week as the launch of the first William Hill sportsbook app in the Apple store gave it access to thousands of customers who have never bet with the company before.

In the trading update covering the 13 weeks to March 27, William Hill said revenues from wagers placed over the internet and mobile phones jumped 33% year-on-year, with amounts wagered on sporting events up by 31%.

With more customers placing bets as events are in progress, William Hill said mobile devices now accounted for 19% of sportsbook turnover in the quarter.

In the high street business, William Hill said bad weather in February resulted in 8% fewer horseracing fixtures in the quarter and caused a 2% drop in the amounts wagered in over-the-counter bets.

However, further growth in machine gaming revenues and a decent run of sporting results for bookies meant retail’s profits were 8% higher in the quarter.

Chief executive Ralph Topping said he was pleased with the group’s strong start to the financial year.

He added: “Our investments in marketing and innovations continue to deliver benefits.”