UK bookmaker Evoke withholds guidance amid Bally's takeover

Aug 12 (Reuters) - British bookmaker Evoke on Wednesday declined to provide forward-looking financial guidance, citing its pending acquisition by Greek lottery and gaming group Bally's Intralot.

• Evoke said trading since the period ended June 30 has remained in line with management expectations, supported by customer engagement during the FIFA World Cup.

• Pressure from higher UK taxes and rising costs prompted the owner of brands such as William Hill and 888 to implement cost-cutting measures, before it agreed to a £243 million ($328.10 million) takeover by Bally's Intralot in June.

• "The first half demonstrated the resilience of the business in a significantly more challenging operating environment following substantial increases in gaming duties introduced across some of our core markets, most notably in the UK," CEO Per Widerström said.

• The company reported adjusted pretax profit of £0.7 million for the first half, down about 94% from a year earlier.

• Last December, Evoke said it was reviewing strategic options, including a potential sale of the company, after UK tax hikes on online gaming and sports betting forced it to withdraw its medium-term outlook.

• Rival Entain has also taken actions to address the tougher operating environment.

($1 = £0.7406)

(Reporting by Neeshita Beura in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips and Janane Venkatraman)