UK betting operator Ladbrokes turned in a boffo Q1 trading update despite a seriously lousy experience at this year’s Cheltenham festival.

On Thursday, Ladbrokes issued a trading update covering the three months ending March 31, during which overall revenue rose 10.6%, led by a 36.5% rise in digital revenue (it should be noted that Q1 2015 was particularly crappy). The digital gains would have been even higher (57.2%) if the unpredictable impact of high-value customers (HVC) was included.

Excluding those HVC contributions, Lads’ online sportsbook revenue – including its exchange wagering operations – was up 59% as margins improved 1.6 points to 7.9%. Digital sports stakes rose 35.2%, marking the ninth consecutive quarter of staking growth. Mobile stakes were up 57.6% and now represent 77.1% of digital sportsbook wagers.

Online gaming revenue was up 27.3%. Online gaming active customer ranks improved 43.8% while sportsbook actives rose 27.8%.