8 August 2013 Last updated at 02:48 ET
Ladbrokes issued a profits warning in April
Bookmaker Ladbrokes has reported a sharp fall in profits, hit by a bigger-than-expected slowdown in gaming machine revenues.
Pre-tax profits for the first six months of 2013 came in at £55.1m, down 49% from the same period last year.
It also said returns from its gaming machines in July had been hit by the UK's "prolonged period of hot weather".
Ladbrokes opened 73 new stores in the first half of the year and plans another 30 in the rest of the year.
The company issued a profits warning in April, saying that profits for the rest of the year would be at the bottom end of analysts' expectations.
Source: BBC News - Business http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23611952#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
