On Air Good Friday Breakfast Chris Williams | 6:00am - 10:00am

Douglas firm's warning over profits

Asia fears grip Playtech

The threat of tightening regulation in Asia has been blamed for a major profit warning at an Island betting firm.

Playtech told investors to expect a 5% drop this year - prompting a sudden fall in the company's share price and a £20 million wipeout on its end-of-year forecasts.

Based in St Georges Court in Douglas, the firm provides software for thousands of fixed-odds betting machines across Britain.

Bosses have yet to comment on UK government plans to cap the amount gamblers can spend on them in one go.

But the warning has been attributed to moves from the Malaysian authorities to crack down on access to online gaming sites and apps.

More from Isle of Man Business