IGT revealed a year-on-year growth in Q2 profits of 26pc, to $78.2m, boosted by an 11pc growth in revenues to $600m and a 94pc increase in its its social gaming franchise DoubleDown Casino, to $66.7m. The Las Vegas-based company said sales of replacement slot machines had performed exceptionally, with a 68pc growth during the period ending March.

Patty Hart, IGT’s CEO praised the results, and said that the social gaming application in particular is now making believers out of its critics, who had panned IGT for paying $500m for it in February 2011.

She also said that IGT is watching online gaming as it rolls out across the United States, adding that the company is focused on markets such as New Jersey, Delaware and Illinois, which are looking to launch all types of Internet gaming, rather than Nevada, which is poker only.