William Hill group's net revenue increased by 6.5 per cent against a strong comparator period in 2008.
This includes results from the expanded online business in 2009, which is compared with its stand-alone William Hill interactive business in 2008.
Overall performance during the period remained resilient. Horse racing had a significant influence on performance with bad weather leading to the cancellation of approximately one third of scheduled UK horse race meetings at the start of the year and, in March, horse racing results going strongly in the customers’ favour, including during the Cheltenham festival. However, in April, horse racing results swung back in favour of the bookmakers, helped by a good Grand National result. Both Cheltenham and Aintree proved to be as popular as in previous years. The period also saw a continued strong performance in football betting and gaming machines.
Ralph Topping, chief executive of William Hill, commented: "Although the economic and competitive environment remains challenging, our results show continuing resilience. Integration of our online business is progressing, with an encouraging increase in the number of customer accounts, and we look forward to reaping the full benefits of this developing business."
