British bookies are hoping that Americans will be keen on sports betting after legislation banning this type of gambling was overturned earlier this year. In August, William Hill (WMH) announced it would provide technology and risk management services to 11 casinos in Mississippi and another in West Virginia. Last week, the group announced it would partner with Eldorado Resorts for digital and land-based sports betting and online gaming in the US, initially comprising 21 properties across 11 states and a customer base of 23m people.
Management is perhaps thinking the so-called 'land of opportunity' will compensate for tougher trading in its UK retail business. At the half-year results last month, a £916m impairment, charged mainly on its UK retail assets following the decision to cut the maximum stake allowed on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs), wiped out group profits. Still, management seems confident in the future: chief financial officer Ruth Prior – along with other connected parties – has spent more than £100,000 topping up her stake.
| Buys | |||||||
| Company | Director | Date | No of shares | Price (p) | Value (£) | Holding (shares) | Holding (%) |
| Advanced Oncotherapy* | Enrico Vanni | 31 Aug 18 | 204,082 | 49 | 100,000 | 1,926,361 | 1.136 |
| Advanced Oncotherapy* | Piers Plowman | 31 Aug 18 | 306,122 | 49 | 150,000 | 4,084,354 | 2.409 |
| Advanced Oncotherapy* | Hans von Celsing | 31 Aug 18 | 30,000 | 49 | 14,700 | 30,000 | 0.018 |
| Anglo Pacific | Robert Stan | 30 Aug 18 | 10,000 | 155 | 15,500 | 213,015 | 0.117 |
| Better Capital | Jonathan Moulton | 05 Sep 18 | 1,750,000 | 11.016 | 192,780 | 18,400,000 | 5.785 |
| Bigblu Broadband | Michael Tobin (ch) | 30 Aug 18 | 8,770 | 113.9 | 9,989 | 137,088 | 0.242 |
| British Empire Trust | Susan Noble (ch) | 05 Sep 18 | 2,635 | 754.7 | 19,886 | 13,630 | 0.012 |
| Collagen Solutions | Tom Hyland | 03 Sep 18 | 115,988 | 4.31 | 4,999 | 273,847 | 0.084 |
| Coro Energy | James Menzies (ceo) | 05 Sep 18 | 712,576 | 4.21 | 29,999 | 1,712,576 | 0.238 |
| Essentra | Paul Forman (ceo) | 05 Sep 18 | 20,000 | 441 | 88,200 | 200,000 | 0.076 |
| Franchise Brands | David Poutney | 03 Sep 18 | 60,000 | 80 | 48,000 | 3,310,791 | 4.265 |
| Georgia Capital | Irakli Gilauri (ch & ceo) | 30 Aug 18 | 3,571 | 1,014.74 | 36,236 | 863,677 | 2.252 |
| Great Eastern Energy | Prashant Modi (ceo) | 31 Aug 18 | 250,000 | 70 | 175,000 | 75,831,912 | 63.658 |
| Great Eastern Energy | Yogena Modi (ch) | 31 Aug 18 | 250,000 | 70 | 175,000 | 75,831,912 | 63.658 |
| Haynes Publishing | Eddie Bell (ch) | 05 Sep 18 | 10,946 | 205 | 22,439 | 10,946 | 0.072 |
| Legal & General | Carolyn Bradley | 03 Sep 18 | 669 | 256.5 | 1,716 | 29,734 | 0.000 |
| Legal & General | John Kingman (ch) | 03 Sep 18 | 1,490 | 256.5 | 3,822 | 140,999 | 0.002 |
| Legal & General | Toby Strauss | 03 Sep 18 | 1,072 | 256.5 | 2,750 | 18,113 | 0.000 |
| Lowland Investment Co | Gaynor Coley | 31 Aug 18 | 500 | 1,524.45 | 7,622 | 500 | 0.002 |
| Micro Focus International | Kevin Loosemore (ch) | 05 Sep 18 | 4,866 | 1,309.05 | 63,698 | 751,179 | 0.173 |
| Mortgage Advice Bureau | Nathan Imlach | 31 Aug 18 | 217 | 668 | 1,450 | 28,250 | 0.056 |
| Mporium | Nelius De Groot (ceo) | 30 Aug 18 | 750,000 | 6.1 | 45,750 | 10,027,633 | 1.706 |
| Obtala | Miles Pelham (ch) | 05 Sep 18 | 5,000,000 | 5 | 250,000 | 17,027,754 | 5.196 |
| Obtala | Miles Pelham (ch) | 04 Sep 18 | 3,020,000 | 5.16 | 155,832 | 12,027,754 | 3.670 |
| Smith (DS) | Adrian Marsh (fd) | 04 Sep 18 | 7,978 | 502.71 | 40,106 | 340,008 | 0.025 |
| Staffline | Christopher Pullen (ceo) | 05 Sep 18 | 2,000 | 1,240 | 24,800 | 19,043 | 0.068 |
| TP ICap | Robin Stewart | 31 Aug 18 | 12,000 | 286.141 | 34,337 | 12,000 | 0.002 |
| U and I | Richard Upton | 30 Aug 18 | 25,000 | 223 | 55,750 | 3,151,233 | 2.512 |
| Vodafone | Gerard Kleisterlee (ch) | 05 Sep 18 | 112,922 | 164.33 | 185,565 | 220,000 | 0.001 |
| William Hill♥ | Ruth Prior (cfo) | 05 Sep 18 | 38,998 | 257.66 | 100,482 | 75,070 | 0.009 |
| Worldwide Healthcare Trust | Sven Borho | 04 Sep 18 | 7,000 | 2,900 | 203,000 | 7,000 | 0.015 |
| Sells | |||||||
| Company | Director | Date | No of shares | Price (p) | Value (£) | Holding (shares) | Holding (%) |
| Bilby | Philip Copolo | 04 Sep 18 | 12,596,896 | 100 | 12,596,896 | 0 | 0.000 |
| Creo Medical | Christopher Hancock | 30 Aug 18 | 480,000 | 125 | 600,000 | 4,400,046 | 3.669 |
| Creo Medical | Craig Gulliford (ceo) | 30 Aug 18 | 480,000 | 125 | 600,000 | 609,886 | 0.509 |
| D4t4 Solutions | Roger McDowell | 04 Sep 18 | 1,550,000 | 189.62 | 2,939,110 | 0 | 0.000 |
| TBC Bank | Giorgi Shagidze (cfo) | 30 Aug 18 | 4,452 | 1,600 | 71,232 | 23,088 | 0.043 |
| TBC Bank | Giorgi Shagidze (cfo) | 30 Aug 18 | 175 | 1,614 | 2,825 | 22,570 | 0.042 |
| TBC Bank | Giorgi Shagidze (cfo) | 30 Aug 18 | 343 | 1,626 | 5,577 | 22,745 | 0.042 |
| * placing/tender/open offer ♥ spouse/connected party | |||||||
