In a trading statement released to the London Stock Exchange on February 10th, BetonSports said it expected pre-tax profits before exceptional items for the year to 5 February would be “broadly in line with market expectations”.

The statement added that the company was “pleased” with final-quarter key performance indicators on customer sign-ups and deposits that continued to be ahead of the comparative period in the prior year.

Activity from last weekend’s NFL SuperBowl reached record levels but with the favourite, the Pittsburgh Steelers, winning, “the margin achieved was, disappointingly, neutral”.

The statement came a day after research from Altium Capital moved BetonSports to a Hold from a Buy and recommended investors look to switch into fellow US-facing sportsbook Leisure & Gaming (L&G) – (VIP Sports).

Greg Feehely and Wayne Brown, analysts at Altium Capital, said L&G shares looked “far more compelling” at present levels.

They added: “Furthermore, we know L&G’s numbers for the year to December 2005 are ‘in the bag’ and we believe the current year estimates leave room for upgrades as the year progresses, given the encouraging performance (in particular) from the (recent) acquisitions of Nine.com and English Harbour.”