Aug. 10, 2012 (China Knowledge) - SJM Holdings Ltd<0880>, the largest casino operator by revenue in Macau, announced its net profit increases 28% from a year earlier to HK$3.41 billion or US$439.7 million in the first half of this year.

In a statement, the company said the growth in net profit was mainly due to lower expenditure.

Basic earnings per share for the period were HK$61.7 cents, up 27% YoY. The casino operator declared an interim dividend of 10 HK cents per share, higher than 8 HK cents from a year earlier.

The Hong Kong-listed company saw its revenue for the six-month period hit HK$39.3 billion, reflecting a YoY increase of 3.9%, while the revenue from its VIP business decreased 0.5% YoY.

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, or EBITDA, totaled HK$3.81 billion in the period, up 9.1% from a year earlier.