Sportech backs armchair punters

WITH football pools in long-term decline, the Littlewoods brand gaming group Sportech is pinning its hopes on a new generation of armchair punters. Its partnership with At The Races venture, in which punters will be able to back horses via the red button on Sky digital zappers, will go live by the end of the year.

A potentially bigger audience will come with Sportech's link-up with ITV scheduled for the new year, when it plans to run books for interactive television viewers on quiz shows, programmes such as Pop Rivals, as well as on the outcome of soap opera plot lines.

Managing director Colin McGill remained cagey on what impact the ventures will have on Sportech's financial results. In the first half of the year, the group made a profit before tax of £400,000, reversing a loss of a similar amount last time.

Turnover from its pools business will be boosted from its recent takeover of Zetters, but Littlewoods Pools suffered a 16% decline in turnover in the half-year, profits holding up at £11m after the reduction in the pools duty burden and operational efficiencies.

Its Littlewoods Betdirect sports betting business saw turnover leap by 69% to £39m with average bets up by about a fifth per telephone call at £33 and per online transaction at £15. The business pared its losses to £1m for the period and McGill said he expected it to break into profit in the first half of next year. The company does not pay dividends. The shares ticked up 1/2p to 11 1/4p.