The New Zealand Racing Board yesterday announced an underlying operating profit for the first half of 2017/18 of $83.4 million, up $2.8 million or 3.4 per cent on last year.
The figure excludes the net impact of strategic initiatives costs and benefits of $4.4m.
Including the planned investment and associatedbenefits from the strategic initiatives, reported net profit was $79.0m, $1.1m (1.4 per cent) below last year however this was $2.9m above budget.
"Successful customer acquisition campaigns, growth in digital channels and increased betting from high-staking Elite customers has seen a growth in total revenue to $188.1 million, up 3.2 per cent on last year," said NZRB chief executive John Allen.
"Our rolling average monthly active account bettors grew to more than 106,000 per month over the 12 months to January 2018, up 16.4 per cent on the previous 12-month period, and in January 2018 alone there were 112,250 active customers betting, up 19.5 per cent on last year.
"The spring customer acquisition campaign run across the second quarter delivered a massive 23,737 new customers, up 28 per cent on target. These newly acquired customers continue to bet regularly with the TAB."
Allen noted that operating expenses were up 1.4 per cent to $68.4m due to investment in technology platforms and compliance costs, while staff, broadcasting and property costs have been slashed by an unspecified amount.
He also confirmed an 11.5 per cent increase in funding distributions to the racing industry, which equates to an extra $9.1m on last year for a total of $88.2m.
