Consolidation in the UK gambling market and regulation abroad are reasons to believe the house can keep winning at gambling software and services provider Playtech (PTEC). The company receives a percentage fee of revenues generated by gambling companies who license its technology and services, so the buoyant levels of merger and acquisition activity in the UK won't mean any less work, according to chief executive Mor Weizer.
"I definitely see more opportunities in these mergers," Mr Weizer said. The company is the "strategic technology provider" to each of the four groups that have announced mergers in recent weeks - Ladbrokes (LAD) and Gala Coral, Betfair (BET) and Paddy Power (PAP). Playtech was a "cornerstone investor" in Ladbrokes' equity placing when it announced the Coral move. And he pointed to the strength of Betfair's gaming growth (27 per cent), which Playtech "had a role in" and profited from.