Shares digital

Alphameric (ALM) – Finals PTP: -£4.16m (£1.62m) Divi: n/a (1.0p)

A pair of profit warnings and a failed bid approach meant 2007 was a challenging year for the leisure software specialist. But November’s £11.1 million capital raising steadied the ship and the firm can now build on TurfTV’s burgeoning momentum.

After initial fierce resistance most of the leading bookmaking chains, bar BetFred, have signed up for TurfTV, which Alphameric owns jointly through Amalgamated Racing with 30 of the UK’s 59 racecourses. TurfTV has elbowed the incumbent, bookmaker-backed SIS service out of the way and gained exclusive rights to broadcast racing from the 30 venues into betting shops.

A normalisation of relations with the bookmakers should boost the Leisure side, although economic uncertainty hovers over both this and the Hospitality arm, which suffered after the introduction of the smoking ban last year.

Shares in Alphameric fell 5% to 22.25p.

Shares says: Could be through the worst although a return to more normal trading patterns with the big bookies has yet to be established.

by: Russ Mould