The dominance of the Premier League’s “Big Four” clubs, coupled with an unusual dearth of draws at the start of the football season, caused William Hill to lose a fifth of the money it makes from betting in shops and £7m ($11m) in its online division’s operating profit during the third quarter.

However, the bookmaker was helped by improving turnover in its 2,300 UK and Ireland shops, the recycling of customer winnings and growth in its machines.