News in brief: Sportech revenues double; Nevada GCB releases proposals

Sportech has seen its revenues more than double to £57.4m for the six months ended 30 June, the company revealed in its half-yearly results this morning. The figures take into account the acquisition of Scientific Games Racing (now Sportech Racing) in October, and H1 2011 also saw the football pools supplier return to profitablility, recording a profit before tax of £3.7m compared to a £5.9m loss in H1 2010. In addition, the company has appointed former PricewaterhouseCoopers North West senior partner David McKeith to its board as a non-executive director and chairman of the group’s audit committee.

Gambling authorities in Nevada have made public a set of proposals which would set the state up for egaming regulation once federal proposals take force. The release of proposals follows the decision by the State Senate Judiciary in May to unanimously approve Assembly Bill 258, and Nevada Gaming Control Board chairman Mark Lipparelli told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that “We can’t predict what may happen with any national legislation and we have attempted to frame these regulations in a manner that will provide appropriate flexibility”.

Sporting Solutions, the B2B arm of the Sporting Index group, is updating its NFL offering ahead of the forthcoming season. It will increase the number of games covered and the quantity of in-play markets, with the NCAA college competition one notable addition to its in-play portfolio. The news comes two months after Sporting Solutions added boxing to the list of sports for which it offers in-play betting.

Following the recent resignation of Net Entertainment chief executive Johan Öhman, the Swedish company’s chief financial officer Bertil Jungmar has also stepped down. Current IBS head of group control Maria Hedengren will take over from Jungmar in October.

The outgoing Ladbrokes director Brian Wallace will step down from his role on 31 August, the company announced this morning.