CORRECTED-Australia's Crown H1 profit rises 29 pct on Macau casino

(Corrects spelling of Macau in headline, paragraphs 1, 4, 5, corrects typographical errors in paragraphs 2, 3, 7, adds conversion in paragraph 2)

SYDNEY, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Australian casino group Crown Resorts Ltd CWN.AX , owned by billionaire James Packer, posted a 29.4 percent rise in its first-half net profit on Friday, largely driven by record earnings from its Macau businesses.

Net profit after tax excluding any impact from volatile VIP gaming revenue rose to A$315.0 million ($282.92 million) for the six months ended Dec. 31, from A$243.5 million a year ago, the company said in a statement.

That was slightly lower than three analysts' forecasts of A$318.6 million, according to Thomson Reuters Starmine data.

Crown, which co-owns Macau casino Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd 6883.HK MPEL.O , said the record earnings achieved by its Macau business was the major contributor to its net profit growth.

Last week, the Macau unit posted a 52.8 percent rise in full year net profit, boosted by a flood of wealthy Chinese gamblers keen to punt in its glitzy casinos.

The company said its Australian casino businesses had been impacted by "weak consumer sentiment".

Crown shares closed at A$17.23 on Thursday. The stock has jumped 48 percent over the past year against a 6 percent rise in the broader market.

($1 = 1.1134 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Maggie Lu Yueyang; Editing by Paul Tait)

((maggie.luyueyang@thomsonreuters.com)(+61 2 93731819)(Reuters Messaging: maggie.luyueyang.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))

Keywords: AUSTRALIA CROWN/