William Hill Results Show Increased H1 Revenues

William Hill, the UK's leading gambling group, has released its interim results for the first half of 2013, for the period ending July 2, showing that revenues have increased significantly compared to the same period last year.

Revenue for the first half of 2013 was up 20% to £751.6 million, largely driven by incredible growth in mobile gaming. In fact, William Hill's mobile operations delivered double-digit operating profit growth during the period.

Ralph Topping, the chief executive of William Hill, said of mobile gaming: "It has come out of nowhere in the last couple of years and now accounts for 40% of our revenue."

William Hill Online Gambling Booming

Online gambling is also booming for William Hill, with a 44% increase in online sports betting revenues, which boosted total online revenues by 18% to £234 million.

William Hill mobile sportsbook amounts bet were up 112%, while mobile gaming revenue grew an unprecedented 198%.

In addition to the success of mobile betting, another factor that impacted Will Hill's results was betting on the royal baby. The British bookmaker reported that it made a tidy profit on the new prince.

"There was a lot of interest in the sex of the child and the weight of the baby, most people came in favoring a girl," Topping said. "They got that wrong, and the color of the hair, too, a lot of people bet on red."

Topping revealed that Will Hill made £400,000 from the event and made a profit. "Maybe we'll send someone to the Palace to ask when they're planning the next one so we can get the book ready," the CEO joked.

William Hill Bolstered by Acquisitions

A flurry of acquisitions in the first half of the year also affected the figures in William Hill's first half revenue report, including Playtech's share of the William Hill online joint venture.

Share prices have risen 70% in the past year and investors are showing their satisfaction.

"We're doing well all over the place, even in retail