UK-listed gaming giant GVC Holdings saw its revenue and profit soar following its takeover of fellow UK operator Ladbrokes Coral Group.

On Thursday, GVC announced that its revenue rose 8% year-on-year to £1.72b in the six months ending June 30, gross profit gained 6% to £1.1b, earnings improved 11% to £349.5m and the company booked an after-tax profit of £113.8m versus a £6.4m loss in the same period last year.

The above comparisons are calculated on a pro forma basis, assuming that GVC’s takeover of Lads-Coral, which was made official on March 28, was already a done deal in H1 2017. Also excluded: the Turkish black-market business that GVC ditched in late 2017 to ensure its Lads-Coral deal passed UK regulatory inspection.

GVC’s H1 gains were driven by strong digital performance, with its sports brands – bwin, Coral, Crystalbet, Eurobet, Ladbrokes and Sportingbet – reporting online revenue up 19% while its games brands – CasinoClub, Foxy Bingo, Gala, Gioco Digtale, PartyPoker and PartyCasino – were up 13%.