Finance thesis topics

Title: Financial reporting for users

1.0Background History of Ladbrokes plc

Ladbrokes plc was formed through a partnership of Arthur Bendir, Schwind and Pennington. Since its inception, Ladbrokes has grown through expansion and mergers to become a global leader in betting and gaming market. The company provides a wide range of betting and gaming services in Europe and Asia. Through its growth and expansion strategy, Ladbrokes acquired Stakis Hotel chain and re-branded them as Hilton, under Hilton International Hotels. The company ventured into internet in 2000 by launching its premier web based interactive betting services. The interactive web based betting and gaming service realized unsurpassed growth. Ladbrokes spends over £50 million annually in technology and expansion programs. Currently, the company operates 2141 betting shops in Britain, Ireland and Belgium. After the U.K government eradicated betting tax in 2001, the company realized unprecedented growth. Consequently, the company introduced fixed odds betting terminal as its new range of products. Ladbrokes plc expanded into Spain and Italy. The group was renamed Ladbrokes plc in 2006 after the sale of Hilton Hotel Corporation. Ladbrokes had 14,000 employees in 2006 and over £12 billion was staked in the same year. The company is currently present in over 200 countries in the world.

1.1 Analysis of Ladbrokes plc 2006 annual report.