Gambling firms 888.com and Cryptologic show strong interim results
Gambling firms 888.com and Cryptologic both recorded strong interim results as they continued to recover from the fallout of the US online gambling ban. Operator 888 said turnover was up 7% to $290m (£148m) for the year ending 31 December 2006, from $271m (£138m) the previous year. It cited its mobile casino and sports betting licence it gained for Italy in December as highlights of recent months. 
Meanwhile gambling software supplier Cryptologic saw turnover rise 24.2% to $104m (£53m) for the year ending 31 December 2006, from $86.3m (£44m) for the same period in 2005. Cryptologic admitted that 2006 had been a challenging year but said it had entered 2007 with focus and momentum. 888, which has been subject to takeover rumours, said that it had nothing to say about its ongoing discussions with Ladbrokes but said an announcement would be made in due course.