UK bookmakers William Hill reported an eight-figure loss in 2017 as writedowns at its Australian division offset online revenue growth.

On Friday, Hills released its official 2017 results, which showed overall revenue in the 52 weeks to December 26 – because just reporting calendar 2017 results would be too difficult, obviously – rising 7% to £1.71b.

If one ignores exceptional items, Hills’ adjusted operating profit improved 11% to £291.3m. However, the actual results showed a pre-tax loss of £74.6m versus a £181.3m profit in 2016.

The statutory results were undone by a £238m impairment of Hills’ struggling Australian operation, which the company put under review in January following the recent bans on online in-play and credit betting, as well as the threat of new point-of-consumption taxes. Hills expects to complete its Aussie review by mid-year.