There have been plenty of highs and lows in the gaming industry this year. Some big players have gone from strength to strength; our reigning champion, Paddy Power - famed for its cheeky ads - reported a 12% rise in first-half pre-tax profits and it won the award for quality of marketing and was joint winner of the award for innovation. Troubled Betfair does well to make second after fighting off a takeover bid from CVC. It now values itself at £1bn. Q3 profits at William Hill were down £20m after slow trading in its betting shops, but web-based 888's boss Brian Mattingley predicts a boom in US revenues as online gaming laws are liberalised. Mecca Bingo and Grosvenor Casino operator Rank is fifth for the second year running, with revenues up 7% to £625m.
