(adds details about international business, NZ projects)
Feb 9 (Reuters) - New Zealand casino operator SkyCity Entertainment Group SKC.NZ on Friday posted a nearly 8 percent rise in underlying profit helped by a recovery in its international business.
Normalised or underlying profit was NZ$90.3 million ($65.24 million) compared to NZ$83.7 million a year ago. Revenues for the six months-ended Dec. 31 rose about 4 percent to NZ$545 million.
Turnover from the company's international business grew about 9 percent, with about half of that typically coming from Chinese customers.
SkyCity said its international turnover is expected to improve in the second half of fiscal 2018 and it continues to target NZ$10 billion in total turnover for 2018 due to positive forward bookings for the Chinese New Year period.
SkyCity, which owns and operates casinos, restaurants, hotels and convention centres, said there had been improvements in the construction of the New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC) and Hobson Street hotel projects over the last six months.
It added that Fletcher Construction is targeting completion of the projects around mid 2019, six months later than initially planned.
"We remain comfortable with our contractual arrangements, which provide for liquidated damages that should mitigate our losses through delay, but legal challenges from Fletcher Construction are possible," Skycity said.
The company's business in Queenstown, renowned for its picturesque location set against the dramatic Southern Alps, rose about 5 percent in revenues.
SkyCity announced an interim dividend of 10 New Zealand cents per share.
($1 = 1.3841 New Zealand dollars)