William Hill Plc released a trading update and things were looking up despite the economic hardships being felt the world around.

It has been 11 weeks since Will Hill's last update, an interim management statement which was released on October 20, 2008, and according to the UK book, the latest numbers show that the company was "resilient" in trading and during the remainder of 2008 and gross win showed an 8 percent increase over gross win from last year.

William Hill's board also expected an increase, 6 percent to be exact, for total gross win over 2008 compared to 2007 and also expected "earnings before interest, tax and exceptional items to be around £275 million," according to the update.

The update also highlights two major events that took place this year:

- The launch of William Hill's new Orbis-powered sportsbook (williamhill.com) and

- the completion of a deal with Playtech Plc leading to William Hill Online.

William Hill is expected to announce its full-year 2008 results on February 27, 2009.