32Red, the online gaming company, posted an impressive 42% increase in revenue in the first half of 2011 to £11m after securing a sharp rise in casino customers.

Operating profit has grown 156% to £1.5m and the company has announced its first ever interim dividend of 0.5p.

32Red also says its high court victory against rival William Hill in January over a trade mark dispute has helped clear the decks of legal problems.

Currently the firm has nearly 22,000 casino customers of which around 14,000 were acquired in the reporting period.

Perhaps the most interesting stat is that the average yield per player is £438 indicating the level of interest in online gambling.

Ed Ware, chief executive, commented: "Recruitment of new players remains strong and the launch of a new series of 32Red television advertisements allied with additional exposure from our Swansea football sponsorship will aim further to increase our market share during the second half of the year."

Shares in 32Red were up 7.2% in early trading.

BS

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