Hundreds of New Machines Headed to Rank Venues Following Government Response

The Rank Group has welcomed the UK Government’s response to the consultation on land-based casinos (July 2023) which means the company can now add hundreds of new machines to their stable of land-based casino venues.  

In a statement Rank Group PLC said that it welcomed the Government's response to the land-based consultation.  

The Grosvenor and Mecca Bingo owner said that it marks; “an important step closer to the passing of secondary legislation.” 

What Do the Changes Mean for Land Based Casinos? 

• Current maximum of 20 machines per licence will rise to 80 machines  
• Grosvenor Casinos doubled B1 gaming machine numbers to 1,361. 

Plans to Be Implemented in 2025 

The company have said that they intend to implement the changes in the 2025 financial year with:

• Addition of first 700 machines during FY25 
• Further machines added in following  
• Sports betting permitted in all casinos 
• Introduction of various sports betting concepts in number of Grosvenor venues 

The Rank Group PLC said: 

“We welcome the Government's commitment to removing the prohibition on direct debit card payments on gaming machines, alongside the introduction of appropriate player protections." 

Changes in Land Based Bingo Venues 

There will also be changes at land-based bingo venues as a result of the consultation to include the increase of current Category B3 slot game cabinet numbers by around 500 machines. 

The company’s CEO Jim O’Reilly commented: “This change will allow us to gradually remove ageing, reel-based machines from our Mecca estate. Overall, the Government's policy will enable us to reduce the number of cabinets across our Mecca estate."