The Rank Group
 | |
| Company type | Public (LSE: RNK) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Gaming |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Headquarters | Maidenhead, UK |
Key people | Peter Johnson, (Chairman) Ian Burke, (CEO) |
| Revenue | £522.2 million (2008) |
| £60.3 million (2008) | |
| £(4.9) million (2008) | |
| Website | www.rank.com |
The Rank Group plc (LSE: RNK) is a leading European gaming business. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
History
The company was formed in 1995 to acquire the business interests of the Rank Organisation which itself was formed out of the business interests of its founder, J. Arthur Rank.[1]
In February 2000, the group sold its interests in Pinewood Studios[2] and the Odeon cinema chain.[3] It also divested itself of its engineering companies plus its Butlins, Warner and Haven Holidays holiday and recreation facilities, which were all sold to Bourne Leisure.[4]
The company acquired the Blue Square gaming business in 2003.[5]
In December 2005, it sold Deluxe Film for £400m.[6]
In December 2006, Rank sold the Hard Rock business, excluding the London casino venue which was rebranded to a G casino, to the Seminole Tribe of Florida for US$965 million.[7]
Operations
Blue Square
Blue Square is Rank's interactive gaming business launched on 5 May 1999.[8] The product suite offered by Blue Square has grown from its traditional bookmaking business to now offer all aspects of the gaming market including online casino, slots and online poker. The fixed odds betting services covers many channels including the Internet, Interactive TV, WAP and telephone.
Blue Square started in-running betting on the FTSE 100 Index followed by online Snail and Hamster Racing, although subsequent events featuring Alligators and Turkeys allegedly attracted the interest of animal rights activists and The Vegetarian Society respectively..[9]
Since the start of the 2007-08 football season, Blue Square has sponsored the Football Conference - the highest rank of non-league football in England.
Blue square will not taking bets from shrewd customers.
Grosvenor Casinos
Grosvenor Casinos is a UK based chain of over thirty casinos located in major towns and cities across the UK with two sister casinos located in Belgium.[10]
In December 2006 the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour was announced in association with Blue Square. The Tour will consist of 11 events throughout Grosvenor casinos in the UK, culminating in a Grand Final at the London Victoria Casino in December. Channel 4 will be recording at every location for a full series in the Autumn.[11]
Mecca Bingo
Mecca Bingo is a UK based bingo company, with sites located across the UK in most major towns and cities.[12] The company also operates Meccabingo.com & Meccagames.com as an extension of the Mecca Bingo brand. This is probably one of the most insensitively named brands in Britain today.
References
- ^ Rank Group: Chronology
- ^ Rank sells UK's flagship Pinewood studios
- ^ Rank sells Odeon Cinema Chain to Cinven for £280m
- ^ Rank to sell Butlin resorts
- ^ UK Rank buys Blue Square
- ^ Final gong as Rank plans to sell film-making arm
- ^ Rank sells Hard Rock to Seminole tribe
- ^ Blue Square Profile
- ^ Gators aid charity funds
- ^ Grosvenor Casinos: Profile
- ^ Grosvenor UK Poker Tour: About the Show
- ^ Meccabingo: Profile
External links