EUROPEAN Leisure, the British snooker and gaming machines operator with an Irish share quotation, has warned that earnings in the first half of the current financial year would be lower than market expectations.

But it emphasised that pre tax profits in the six months to the end of December 1995 would still be comfortably in excess of the results for the comparable period in 1994 when £1.7 million sterling was generated. British brokers had been predicting £2.7 million but this has now been trimmed to £2.2 million.

Yesterday the company reported mixed trading in its various businesses over Christmas and the new year.

European Leisure recorded a pre tax profit of £4.1 million in the year to end of June 1995. This was expected to rise to £6.5 million. While that target is not now expected to be met, the profit growth for the full year is expected to well above the £4.1 million.