LONDON (dpa-AFX) - UK's casino operator The Rank Group Plc (RNK.L) Thursday reported a surge in profit for the half year, with a double digit growth in gaming revenue.
For the half year, profit before tax rose more than two fold to 49.3 million pounds from 22.8 million pounds, while underlying profit before tax grew to 52.9 million pounds from 30.5 million pounds last year.
On a per share basis, basic earnings surged to 10.2 pence from 4.8 pence, while underlying earnings rose to 11.0 pence from 6.4 pence last year.
Operating profit for the first half rose 117 percent to 56.1 million, and underlying operating profit grew 87 percent to 59.8 million pounds.
Reported net gaming revenue increased by 14 percent to 397.4 million pounds, while underlying net gaming revenue grew 10 percent to 377.5 million pounds.
Looking ahead to the full year, the gaming company expects underlying operating profit in the range of 113 million - 123 million pounds, including the impact of IFRS 16.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX