Online bookmaker Sportingbet gets World Cup boost

Sportingbet said it had taken over 50 million pounds worth of bets during the tournament, of which 65 percent were made during matches using the company's "in:play" betting service.

"The strong World Cup performance underpins the fourth quarter trading results and the board remains confident that the group will meet management expectations for the financial year just ended," Sportingbet said in a statement on Thursday.

A significant number of low scoring games had also favoured the bookmaker as punters tend to back high-scoring results, the company said.

Sportingbet said it had continued to perform in line with management expectations throughout the final quarter of the year.

Shares in the company closed on Wednesday at 59.75 pence, valuing the business at 302 million pounds.