Paddy Power is one of the highly recommended online casinos at Online Casino Topic. Along with the online casino, Paddy Power operates a number of other gambling portals as well as retail betting outlets. The recommendation made by Online Casino Topic has been vindicated by the excellent interim results for the six months ended June 30, 2011 by Paddy Power plc. The maximum contributions came from the online and mobile wings of the Irish gambling operator.

The highlights of the financial results are as follows. The profit before tax was up 15% to €56.8 million. This was despite the fact that the 2010 financial results included profits from the FIFA World Cup and that the sporting results were adverse during the current period. 81% of the group operating profit came from online activities and 73% came from international activities outside Ireland.

The online casino players at Paddy Power would be more interested in the specifics of the achievements of the online portals. The gross win was up 28% to €143 million. The operating profit was up 25% to €45.3 million. Paddy Power registered a very strong growth with active customers up 48%. The performance in the Australian online market was excellent and further growth is expected in this market. The mobile gambling market is growing rapidly and Paddy Power is making inroads there as well. The mobile sports book turnover was up a phenomenal 279%.

The report announcing the half year results also gave details of the retail outlet performance. The United Kingdom retail operating profit was up 59% to €4.7 million. The total number of retail outlets in the United Kingdom increased to 151 shops with 27 shops opened so far this year. Paddy Power has plans to open from 35 to 40 shops annually. The Irish retail operating profit was down 44% to Euro 5.1 million.

Commenting on the results, Patrick Kennedy, Chief Executive of Paddy Power plc, said, “This has been a great first half for Paddy Power. The excellent performance of the Online Division and the success of our mobile offering stand out. We have continued to experience strong growth in the UK Retail market and our Australian business has progressed well. Conditions in Ireland remain tough but our business is well positioned; we therefore remain confident in the prospects for the Group in 2011 and beyond.”

The investors in Paddy Power have been rewarded with a 20% increase in the interim dividend to 30.0 cent per share, supported by a strong balance sheet with net cash of €91 million at period end. But this is good news for the players at Paddy Power online casino as well. With such a solid performance they are expecting better games, better promotions and better facilities.