Britain's biggest bookmaker William Hill said it was confident for the full year after posting a 21% jump in first-quarter operating profit, led by demand for its online gambling sites.
The company, which has around 2,350 betting shops in the UK and Ireland, said it had also seen increased amounts wagered in its over-the-counter business and through gaming machines.
William Hill, which takes over one million bets a day, said the strong performance resulted in group net revenue being up by 11%, with retail revenues up 8% and online net revenues up 26%.
'We have seen excellent growth across our business in the first quarter, enabling us to remain confident in our expectations for the full year,' the company's chief executive Ralph Topping said.
Rival Ladbrokes said earlier this month that its operating profit rose by 1.9% to £49.2m sterling in the first quarter but warned of an uncertain outlook with the economic climate in Britain set to remain challenging throughout 2011.
Last week, William Hill said it would move into the US gaming market for the first time after agreeing to buy two American sports betting businesses for $39m.
