More gamblers taking a punt with Sportingbet

Punters are trying to gamble away the risks of a double-dip recession - at least that's what the latest figures from Sportingbet suggest.

Today the online gaming firm said amounts wagered in the first half of the year were up 11%.

Sportingbet, which has customers across Europe, Australia, Canada, South America and South Africa, said it continues to monitor regulatory developments - a reference to a likely clampdown in Greece.

Online betting in countries such as Germany, Greece and Spain is still unregulated.

Transactions from these countries, which are expected to implement regulation this year, are on the "grey market" which makes up most of online firms' revenues.

The stock added 0.1p to 50.3p.