* TSX up 15.61 points, or 0.1 percent, to 15,273.58
* Eight of the TSX's 10 main groups rose
TORONTO, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index was modestly higher on Tuesday as positive earnings results and a deal in the gaming sector helped offset declines in BlackBerry Ltd BB.TO and other tech shares.
Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc (NYSE:VRX) VRX.TO was among the most influential issues on the index, jumping 9.9 percent to C$21.04 after the company reported better-than-expected quarterly results and said it would hit its debt repayment target ahead of schedule. The overall healthcare group climbed 3.4 percent. Bros Auctioneers RBA.TO rallied 11.3 percent to C$38.69 after it reported quarterly revenue that was better than forecast. Canadian Gaming GC.TO surged 14.9 percent to C$29.22 after it was announced that the casino operator and Brookfield Business Partners BBU_u.TO would acquire key Toronto area gaming assets and have exclusive rights to operate the assets for at least 22 years. The overall consumer discretionary group climbed 0.8 percent. Business shares rose 4.6 percent to C$36.95.
At 10:31 a.m. EDT (1431 GMT), the Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index .GSPTSE rose 15.61 points, or 0.1 percent, to 15,273.58.
Of the index's 10 main groups, eight were in positive territory.
The industrials group, home to companies including Ritchie, and Brookfield Business, rose 0.6 percent.
Offsetting the gains was a 1.1 percent retreat in information technology stocks.
BlackBerry declined 3.3 percent to C$11.56 after Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) resumed coverage of the company with a sell rating on Monday, when Canadian markets were closed for a holiday. Goldman Sachs said rising competition in enterprise mobility outweighed BlackBerry's automotive opportunities. L1N1KU0MR
Software maker Open Text Corp OTEX.TO fell 3.3 percent to C$11.56.
While the overall materials group was mostly flat, certain companies in the sector were among the index's weightiest decliners.
Fertilizer makers Potash Corp POT.TO and Agrium Inc AGU.TO were both down, with Potash falling 1.3 percent to C$22.53 a share and Agrium declining 1.4 percent to C$125.92 a share.
Pretium Resources Inc PVG.TO fell 8.0 percent to C$10.4 a share.
Advancing issues outnumbered declining ones on the TSX by 126 to 115, for a 1.10-to-1 ratio on the upside.