The week that was in the British gaming financial world centers heavily on casino groups Stanley Leisure Plc.  and London Clubs International. With both companies currently involved in merger talks, word late in the week broke that Harrah’s Entertainment may be looking to scoop-up both groups in an effort to segue into the British market. According to the Sunday Times such a move would not occur until Stanley Leisure and London Clubs complete their proposed unification. Such an action would result in the new venture becoming the UK’s largest casino operator. Stanley Leisure is also bidding for infrastructure group Thames Water, with results due this coming week. Stanley Leisure, despite all the activity, closed down Friday at 600.50p on the London Stock Exchange, with London Clubs International was up slightly to 95p per share.

Elsewhere, the revocation of the German betting license for BWIN Interactive Entertainment (formerly Bet and Win.com) had a trickledown effect in the British sector, as the online gaming stocks suffered yet another blow in the face of the BetonSports crackdown. Although some analysts have pegged the most-recent developments by investors as overreacting, nonetheless, the move saw several companies post lower trade prices as a result.

Sportingbet PLC shares were immediately down 4.4 percent or 12 pence at 259 pence when the news broke mid-week, with a further fall at Friday close of another 10 percent. It closed at 244.75p. Meanwhile, Party Gaming fell slightly as well to 109p, a drop of about 2.5 percent, with 888 Holdings dropping as well to 150.25p. Overall, the U.K. market was also hurt by the latest terrorist plot development, with estimates pegging the impact at 1.4 percent to the negative.

- Rex Harris