SPORTINGBET, the internet gambling firm that already prohibits directors from visiting the United States following the arrest of its ex-chairman, Peter Dicks, has now declared France a no-go zone after the arrest last month of two directors of Austria’s Bwin.com.

Andy McIver, Sportingbet’s new chief executive, said the move was a precaution as the group did not advertise in France, where only state-run operations are allowed. He said the country accounted for only about £2 million of profit, mostly from its casino website.

“Our understanding is that we don’t have an issue in France. But following the Bwin arrests we decided that as a board we wouldn’t travel to France because we felt we were in enough hot water with the Peter Dicks situation in the US,” he said.

Sportingbet yesterday reported strong results for the year to the end of July, with profits up 70 per cent. However, it warned investors that current-year figures would be badly hit by its withdrawal last week from the US market in the wake of the ban on internet gambling transactions.

Analysts have pencilled in a sharp drop in this year’s numbers, with its house broker forecasting operating profits before exceptionals of just £10.3 million, down from £103 million.

The company said that the sale of Sportsbook.com, its US-facing sports and casino business, for just $1 and the closure of its Paradise Poker site to Americans would produce an exceptional hit of £210 million against profits for the year to July 31, 2007.

He said the US ban, pushed through by Senator Bill Frist, had set the company back by about five years.

“I feel saddened at what’s happened,” he said. “It was a brilliant business that was brought down by the political ambition of one man. Frist had shown no interest in this Bill, then suddenly he’s forcing it through in order to cosy up to the good folks of Iowa and push his own presidential ambitions.”

Shares of Sportingbet, which in May were trading at 445p, fell by 3¾p to 46½p.

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