MILAN :Italian gaming company Lottomatica said it was considering a potential public listing among strategic options to support growth, as it reported a rise of at least 7 per cent in pro-forma fourth quarter core profit excluding the acquisition of Betflag. An initial public offering, which sources had told Reuters could take place in the second quarter, would help to leave behind a dry spell in the IPO market which suffered in 2022 as inflation and high interest rates stoked volatility.