Nov 14 (Reuters) – William Hill Plc :
* William hill Plc Trading Statement
* Continue to expect full-year operating profit 1 to be at top end of previous £260-280m guidance, subject to normalised gross win margins in rest of year
* H2 focused on improvements to gaming, UX and marketing
* Positive performance continuing in international markets with double-digit wagering and net revenue growth in h2 to date in Australia, US and Italy And Spain
* Opportunities for c£30m of group operating efficiencies identified for delivery in 2017
* Gross win margin was slightly higher than normal at 8.4 pct, benefiting from favourable football results
* Our performance in Australia continues to improve.
* Our US business continues to perform strongly. In local currency terms in h2 to date, amounts wagered was up 10 pct and net revenue was up 52 pct
* Online has returned to growth with UK Sportsbook amounts wagered +4 pct in h2 following mobile sportsbook enhancements in q2
* We have seen early signs of improved performance: Sportsbook net revenue in h2 to date was up 11 pct, with amounts wagered up 6 pct
* Gaming net revenue was 2 pct lower, bola an improvement from 6 pct decline seen in h1 while changes to enhance our gaming experience are ongoing
* Average revenue per user is 16 pct higher in h2 to date and average wagering per sportsbook active is up 17 pct
* In retail, total net revenue was flat in h2 to date Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage: (Bengaluru Newsroom: +91 80 6749 1136)