British online revenues at the gambling group behind Ladbrokes and Sportingbet have returned to year-on-year growth sooner than expected.

In an unscheduled update, Entain said that there had been positive momentum at the start of the second half, with the pace of growth continuing in the third quarter.

Analysts pointed to the Euro 2024 football championships and the Olympic Games in Paris as driving the strong numbers. Shares in the company, which had fallen by more than 40 per cent this year, promptly rose by 33¾p, or 5.3 per cent, to close at 673¼p.

The positive performance provides a comfortable start for Gavin Isaacs, the group’s new chief executive, who took over last week. To ensure a smooth transition, Stella David, 61, who had been