Betting on the National Lottery is continuing to be popular among punters at the 50 Stanley Leisure betting shops in Ireland, helping carry the group's interim profits above £10 million for the first time.

Mr Leonard Steinberg, chairman of Stanley Leisure, said betting on the Irish lottery had now been introduced successfully into the group's 500 betting shops in England.

Surveys have found that betting on the Irish lottery was particularly popular among women, accounting for 30 per cent of punters, he said. Popularity of "betting on numbers" among women has encouraged Stanley Leisure and other bookmakers to launch "49's" described by Mr Steinberg as "a kind of bingo bet" to meet demand from the female punter.

First-half profits rose 37 per cent to a record £10.1 million despite the absence of £500,000 profits due to the "Diana effect" caused by loss of a Saturday's business for the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Betting shop profits surged 91 per cent to £7.7 million, benefiting from improved business mix and investment in shops. But casino profits fell 9 per cent to £4.7 million after increased costs on staff development. Expansion plans include opening betting shops at airports to cater for passengers waiting for their planes and those waiting to meet arriving travellers. The group's first airport shop has opened at Jersey Airport.

Second-half trading had been "very satisfactory" in both the racing and casino divisions, said Mr Steinberg. The interim dividend is up 17 per cent at 1.4p per share.