Outside the main business of bookmaking we continue our sports ethos by supporting sport through various charitable and sponsorship contributions. Sportingbet is now the main supporter of HEROS, a charity dedicated to the welfare of former racehorses to ensure they have a comfortable existence once their racing days are over. Sportingbet is also focused on football, the dominant sport in Europe, and is now the main shirt sponsor for Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club playing in the English Premier League, Steaua Bucharest of Romania and Slavia Sofia of Bulgaria. In Australia, the Group is the major sponsor of the Brisbane Broncos, one of Australia’s leading Rugby League teams and Carlton Football Club, one of Australia’s largest Aussie Rules teams.
The Group is also investing in the communities in which we base our operations. In Guernsey, the location of our main European operational base, we are proud to sponsor Heather Watson, a young Guernsey tennis player who has recently won the US Open girl’s title. Heather is now ranked number one in the UK, and number three in the world. The Group also sponsors many local sports-based community events such as the Guernsey Marathon. In Antigua, where the Group has held a gaming license for many years, we have donated a significant sum to fund both the building of a library at the Island Academy International School and bursaries for a number of under privileged local children.
I am pleased to announce the reinstatement of dividend payments. The Group has achieved a considerable amount since the closure of the US-facing business in October 2006 and the payment of a 1.0p dividend marks a further stage in the development of the business.
