It was perhaps an unfortunate coincidence for Playtech, the gaming technology company, that news of its 25 per cent increase in first-half revenues coincided with a warning from the Gambling Commission that more than 500,000 people in Britain are classed as problem gamblers.
To put that in context, the figure represents 0.8 per cent of the population and has “remained statistically stable” during the past five years. However, together with a forthcoming government review of the gambling sector it highlights an interesting challenge for the acquisitive FTSE 250 company: how to grow sales in the face of a rising tide of global regulation likely to result in higher costs and tighter rules imposed on Playtech’s customers.
Playtech, which takes half of its revenues from