(Adds details on high-rollers, context on Crown)
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 boosted 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 said that VIP turnover from its Australian businesses shot up 54.5 percent in the year.
The positive results spell brighter days for Crown after its billionaire 47-percent owner James Packer unexpectedly stood down form the board earlier this year, citing concerns over his mental health.
A mild recovery in Crown's interim earnings pointed to a return of Chinese high-rollers, many of whom had put off overseas gambling jaunts amid a Chinese government campaign against shows of wealth among public officials.
Casinos in Cambodia and the Philippines have also reported strong growth.
Crown declared a final dividend of 30 cents per share, in line with its final dividend for 2017.
($1 = 1.3459 Australian dollars)
