Thursday August 2,2012 : LADBROKES H1-2012 DIGITAL RESULTS DISAPPOINT Company confident that management changes will improve disappointing performance The release of Ladbrokes' H1-2012 numbers Thursday confirmed market fears that the digital operations of the UK online and land gambling giant had turned in a disappointing performance. Earlier this week the abrupt resignation of senior manager Richard Ames seemed to foreshadow some dismal statistics, and the digital section of the report confirmed this: * May delivered the lowest digital sportsbook margin in three years * Continuing decline in online poker * Digital profit at GBP 15 million was significantly down on last year's GBP 29.7 million – a greater than expected decline despite net revenues being up at GBP 88.3 million (H1-2011: GBP 85.7 million). * GBP 16.8 million increase in digital operating costs, with the expectation that these will continue to cost the company dearly in H2.