Playtech software is used by numerous online casinos, poker sites, sportsbooks, and bingo operators to power the games they offer to players, with popular sites such as Europa Casino and William Hill just a few of the better known ones.

While Playtech's poker revenues slipped slightly in the most recent quarter and were off by 2%, it was more than offset by gains in bingo (up 9%) and in its core casino offers which were up by 13%.

The company has also been actively using acquisitions to expand its product portfolio, including the acquisition of mobile sportsbetting software provider Geneity.

Its results have gotten a big boost from online gambling laws in Italy being eased to allow for the offering of poker gash games as well as additional casino games, which has boosted results of Playtech and other gambling operators licensed to operate in the Italian market.

Playtech has also been active in looking to new markets for growth, seeking partners in areas such as South Africa and the United States.

Playtech and other online gambling operators are currently jockeying for position in the US by firming up partnerships and joint ventures with existing US casinos, with hopes that anti-gambling laws will be eased or individual US states will roll out their own intra-state online poker and casino sites.

Most online gambling operators and sites were forced to abandon the US market - one of the most lucrative in the world - in late 2006 when anti-gambling laws were passed but momentum is growing to legalize some forms of online gambling in the US.

States such as Nevada and New Jersey are taking a hard look at rolling out online poker sites for residents, while numerous other states are considering a similar move, looking to tap into a new source of tax revenues and create new jobs.