CURRENT REPORTS

• Acquisition of Vernons – which is trading well and being successfully integrated, delivering operational and financial synergies.
     
  
• Enhanced new products launched including Premier 10, Fantasy Football, predictor games, fixed odds games and relaunch of Spot the Ball.
  
  
• Significant progress in the upgrade of technology and distribution channels following partnerships with Scientific Games and Orbis.
  
  
• Signing of a data and marketing agreement to become official licensees of the Premier League and Football Leagues and official partners of Scottish equivalents.
         
  
• Launch of The New Football Pools brand with full-scale relaunch of the football pools business on target for August 2008.
  
  

• Profit before tax from continuing operations increased by 27% to £11.6m (2006: £9.1m).
  
  
• Earnings per share from continuing operations of 12.8p (2006: 12.8p, adjusted following share consolidation).
  
  
• Net debt (excluding deferred consideration for Vernons pools business (Vernons)) reduced to £86.5m (2006: £89.9m). Including the fair value of deferred consideration payable to Ladbrokes in December 2008 and December 2009, net debt amounts to £92m.
  
  
• Successful Placing and Open Offer raising over £41.4m to part fund acquisition of Vernons and provide additional working capital for investment in enlarged Group.
  
  
• Re-negotiated banking facilities with improved interest rate margins, covenants and repayment terms, providing a more appropriate platform for growth.
           
  
• Reduction in gearing ratio by over a third from 77% to 49% over the last two years.
  
  

• Adjusted profit before tax* from continuing operations increased by 50% to £7.8m (2007: £5.2m).



• Adjusted earnings per share from continuing operations of 5.5p (2007: 6.1p, adjusted following share consolidation).



• Net debt reduced by £3.2m to £83.3m (31 December 2007: £86.5m)..



• Gross win revenues increased by £8.1m (28%) to £36.6m.

OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

• Integration of Vernons is ahead of schedule and the business is trading well, delivering operational and financial synergies which have exceeded management’s initial forecasts.



• Global marketing and distribution agreement signed with 888 Holdings Plc (“888”) to promote Sportech’s football pools business and other e-Gaming businesses to the UK and worldwide customer base of both companies.



• Launch of The New Football Pools brand with full-scale relaunch of the football pools business on schedule for the new football season this month.



• New and enhanced products being launched, including Premier 10, Footy 15, online Spot the Ball, private leagues and a community based, online football predictor website.



• Technology and distribution partnerships with Scientific Games and Orbis are delivering significant benefits and the upgrade and integration of the technology suite is on schedule to be initially introduced in August.



• Appointment of Will Muirhead as Managing Director of footballpools.com.



• Media and online deals with the Daily Mirror, FootyMad, FourFourTwo and enhancements to Paypoint contract to significantly extend the potential customer numbers through new distribution channels. Further media deals are expected shortly.

* Adjusted profit before tax is profit before taxation, amortisation of acquired intangibles, exceptional costs and other non-cash finance costs .