Member Info for JohnLewis79

Pool sale confirmed. Burlywood Cap are paying £97.2m or 47.6 pps subject to shareholder approval. No worries there!!

See lse have not updated shares in issue which should now read 300.579.630m. Making the nos just got a whole lot harder.

Nice tick up to 72 today but vols were tiny as has been the norm of late. Doubt anybody has the inside straight on vat news which imo will be announced end Sept/ early Oct. Still ways off year high of 87 which came on the last vat appeal won by Spo back in early March. Should the court refuse HMRC I think we'll test 87 and certainly 100 if a pools sale is confirmed at a later date. Am still not ruling out another bid should the vat & pools be concluded satisfactorily as we will be cash rich (£100m net-worst way) with no debt and a strong footing in the Racing & Leisure sector in the US, which would prove attractive to WH /Rank whose scope to grow in the UK is limited on competition grounds and suitable targets. No doubt the appetite is still there to consolidate and spread operations away from the UK because a penal tax regime is hurting profits and the internet is a bloodbath with zero loyalty from punters chasing a better deal at the flick of a switch. One person I know has accounts with every on line bookie in the UK and in Mogadishu! This makes Spo a stand out bet next year and will most likely fall prey to a US operator as the likes of WH/Rank will still be fast asleep.

The egm resolutions went through on the nod and the extra shares will be admitted for trading on the 12th. Total outstanding now 381m. US $ to Zmk current 10.250.

You and me Bro!!

A good week on all fronts for Zam a 10% tick up in the sp to pretty much a 52wk high and the profit takers are being absorbed which invariably bodes well for further gains. I have had 2 winners this wk and 2 flatliners which is some turnaround for me....i can tell you.... as I'm more used to declining share prices this has come as a shock! Now all I have to do is resist cashing in my gains. I thought about it for a moment but I'm staying put, way too much upside here for 'uneasy' + & -elsewhere.

Nobody here is bucking the trend which is resolutely bullish with more joining the ss Zam daily. Not one for charts so any chartists on here can you explain what the squiggly lines are saying or shall we put it down to a change in sentiment and more buyers than sellers?

Recently reported H/yr pre tax at £27m and likely F/yr c £45-50m. That will be around £30-35m more than Spo turn in, yet their market cap is around £700m more or c18x ebita compared to Spo c 8x ebita. That's a big difference which cannot be put down to better quality of earnings or superior management. If 888 are priced to the sector I'd suggest Spo are not, which gives Spo holders quite a large margin of safety at 67.

See the full ask was paid (15.50) so 16 on the cards now. A 1x bagger in weeks and a rare occurrence for me to be 'in a stock' heading north. So a big swing round for me from c50% fall to 20% rise in a month. I'll take that any day!

Morning all. Current 9640 to the $. I think 16 might be a stretch this week but I'm sure we will be past the 52wk high when Zam's trading statement is issued. Stocks often have a transformational year or a paradigm shift in their fortunes that puts the co on a completely different footing so I'm expecting 2017 will be that year and if the business does well the stock price will follow.

If you follow the technical side of investing B/bulls recommend to 'stay long' on Zam. Thanks for that!

Near 20% rise this week on very healthy volumes and the trend is most definitely our friend! Being an avowed cynic I know not to let myself get carried away by a few weeks rise in a sp, as the inevitable reversal usually happens. However I think Zam might well prove the exception and with £15m + p/tax on the cards for '17 that's some nice underpinning! Enjoy the long wk/end.

Hi Bruce....if you have any spare a punt here on vat and pools sale is a risk worth taking. Both should be resolved by year end....hmmm? A double could be worth c £200m or approx 100p on best case/outcome. I have had worse punts than that in the past.

Morning Bruce...saw your post on Sxx. Trust your well. I take it you gave seen Spo recent H/yr so jam tomorrow.....again!! Drop by now and again.

Nice tick up yesterday with the stock having doubled in a month one would expect a pause for breath. However I don't buy that, buying a good business at a good price beats buying a poor business at a cheap price. Look back 3 years and the sp is way down when arguably we're in a much stronger position now which tells me that the upside from here will be greater than the recent 7-14 rise. As ever we try and buy stocks that that will appreciate the most compared to the price we pay today. Zam falls into that category. As noone can predict the price of stocks 1 month or 1 year ahead focusing on the business and not the price must be of prime concern to all invested here. I'm happy to do that, our management whom I like and trust will see to the" numbers " .The market will price Zam everyday up, down or flat depending on mood. I'm looking at the "numbers".

2 analyst upgrades for Spo. Peel Hunt have a target of 79 and Investec are more bullish at 112.

Oh dear! Still I'm sure we can cope...lots of o...lies do in dodgy countries.

Shareholders funds increased to 64 pps. The Pools cont to provide exceptional margins of c 50% and all divisions are in the black. Asia / India should help balance the portfolio away from the US which let's face it is where we win or lose. As I've always said the purchase of SG was a blinder what with all the 'throw-offs' and if we can get the venues business steaming ahead with decent margins, next year could see us growing revenue! All in all an okay first half. Part 2 could be a lot better!

Nothing to write home about. Revenue down as usual other nos on a par. Talks cont on poss sale of Pools to who knows whom? What a bloody farce!

Getting ahead of myself..H/Y nos today!! Last time: Rev.... £51m ebita £11m Debt £63m