Strong casino growth helped online gambling operator GVC Holdings overcome the impact of new taxes in the first half of 2015.

Overall revenue in the six months ending June 30 rose 15% to €121m while earnings rose 14% to €25.5m. Sports revenue per day rose 6% to €303k despite margins falling 1.1 points to 8.8%, while gaming revenue was up 25% to €365k per day. GVC’s core operations include the Sportingbet, CasinoClub and Betboo brands.

Sports betting turnover rose 18.5% year-on-year. In-play’s share of sports betting revenue rose 10 points to 73% while mobile’s share increased 16 points to 38%. Total customer deposits rose 18% as the number of active and depositing customers increased 14% and 7% respectively.

Looking forward, GVC says trading in the first two months of Q3 has been “strong” despite the absence of a major football tournament like last year’s FIFA World Cup. GVC’s board remains “highly confident” regarding its prospects for the rest of 2015.