‘Punter-friendly’ results hit bookie

Profits at William Hill were dragged down by punter-friendly football and horse racing results last year.

Adjusted operating profit slumped 10% to £261.5 million in the year to December.

The bookmaker took a huge Boxing Day hit when 18 of the 20 best-backed sides won and one customer walked away with £103,000 from a £20 bet.

The group was also hit after a string of favourites won at Cheltenham races.

Nevertheless, revenue nudged up 1% to £1.6 billion over the period.

Interim CEO Philip Bowcock said: “2016 was a challenging year for William Hill, but one in which we made considerable operational progress, leaving us well-placed to drive the business forward in 2017.”