Aug 9 (Reuters) - Australia's biggest casino operator, Crown Resorts Ltd (CWN) , said on Thursday its annual profit rose 12.7 percent, beating expectations, as resurgent demand from high-stakes gamblers delivered a surge in turnover.
Normalised net profit, which is adjusted to remove extraneous items, for the year ending June 30 rose to A$386.8 million ($287.4 million) from A$343.1 million a year ago, the company said. The figure came above the A$366.3 million estimated by a poll of nine analysts, according to Thomson Reuters data.
The company declared a final dividend of 30 cents per share, in line with its final dividend for 2017.
($1 = 1.3459 Australian dollars)