From the half-year financial results of the online casino operator PartyGaming it is clear that the company really did well for the first six months of this year with a 30% increase in total revenue to € 181.2 which is mainly due to the strong growth in casino and sports betting.

Jim Ryan, CEO of PartyGaming commented on the financial results and said: “We delivered another robust financial performance in the first half and also made great progress in executing our online casino strategy. While poker was impacted by the football World Cup and remained difficult from a competitive perspective, our other verticals continued to perform strongly. Total revenue was up 30% and Clean EBITDA from Continuing Operations was up 14% versus the prior year. As previously announced, Clean EBITDA margins in the first half were slightly lower than expected due to the delayed launch of cash game poker in Italy. Our proposed merger with bwin is a transformational opportunity for the Group and we expect that it will provide significant strategic, operational and financial benefits for the shareholders of both companies. Whilst there is much work to do ahead of completion in early 2011, we are excited about the prospects for what will then be the clear market leader in online gambling with strong positions in all key product verticals and territories.”

About the prospect for remaining year, Jim Ryan said the casino group performed according to the forecast of the company and that a strong gain in newly legalized countries is the main focus for the company. He said: “Our strategy of combining a strong B2C franchise with significant local brands is already proving to be a powerful force as evidenced by our network’s position in French poker.”