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William Hill pushed into loss by Australia writedown | William Hill pushed into loss by Australia writedown |
(about 1 hour later) | |
William Hill has been pushed into an annual loss after slashing the value of its Australian business. | |
The bookmaker reported a pre-tax loss of £74.6m for 2017, compared with a profit of £181.3m the year before. | |
That change was mainly due to a £238m charge the company took to write down the value of its business in Australia. | That change was mainly due to a £238m charge the company took to write down the value of its business in Australia. |
The writedown follows changes in regulation - with credit-funded betting now banned in Australia - and a rise in taxation in some states. | |
William Hill is currently carrying out a strategic review of its Australian business, which is due to be completed by mid-2018. | William Hill is currently carrying out a strategic review of its Australian business, which is due to be completed by mid-2018. |
Online boost | |
Despite the hefty write-off pushing the company into a loss, William Hill said that its underlying performance had improved. | Despite the hefty write-off pushing the company into a loss, William Hill said that its underlying performance had improved. |
Net revenues rose 7% to £1.7bn, while adjusted operating profit climbed 11% to £291.3m. | Net revenues rose 7% to £1.7bn, while adjusted operating profit climbed 11% to £291.3m. |
William Hill said revenues from its online business rose 13%, which it said reflected improvements to its website and marketing. | |
On Tuesday, William Hill was hit with a £6.2m fine by the Gambling Commission for breaching anti-money-laundering and social responsibility regulations. | |
The Commission said the company did not do enough to ensure oversight measures were effective. As a result, 10 customers were able to deposit money linked to criminal offences. | |
In its results statement, William Hill reiterated that it had committed to carry out an independent review as a result of the findings, and would work to implement any recommendations that emerge. |
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