SHARES in the Stanley Leisure racing to casinos group, which operates 50 betting shops in Ireland, fell 12p to 341p in the wake of sharply lower interim results, hit by the hot summer and competition for punters' money from the National Lottery.

Group pre tax profits fell £1.5 million to £6.5 million, leading to a decline in earnings per share from 9.53p to 7.52p in the half year to October 29th due to a 50 per cent collapse in betting shop profits, partly offset by increased casino profits.