The Rank Group

The Rank Group is a reputable gambling company in the United Kingdom that owns many of the most popular gambling brands in the country, such as Mecca Bingo and Grosvenor Casinos. While it first started in the film and leisure industry, it is now solely focused on the gambling industry.

History of the Rank Group

In April 1937, the Rank Organisation was founded by J. Arthur Rank. They became the largest film company in the UK and were involved in all areas of the film industry, including production, distribution and exhibition facilities. Moreover, the company began to diversify and manufacture televisions, photocopiers and radios.

The Rank Group was founded in 1995 and up until 2006, they were focused on the film industry. To this day, the company still uses the gold gong man logo that was first used by one of its film subsidiary companies, General Film Distributors. In 1996, the Rank Organisation was absorbed into the Rank Group and the company began to diversify its leisure holdings. This started with Pinewood Studios and the Odeon cinema group, then led to the selling of their engineering businesses. Other leisure facilities such as Butlins, Haven Holidays Warner and Oasis Whinfell Forest were sold to competitors like Center Parks UK and Bourne Leisure.

Next to be sold off were their shares in Universal Studios Florida and their nightclub sector, Rank Entertainment. The Rank Film Library and Rank Advertising Film Division were then sold to Carlton Communications. The company’s association with the film industry ended when it sold Deluxe Film. They also sold their Hard Rock business with the exception of one in London that was transformed into G Casinos.

Since 2006, they have become a reputable company within the online gambling industry and own the UK’s largest casino operator, Grosvenor Casinos, and other popular brands such as Mecca Bingo. They purchased the Blue Square betting business in 2003 to focus their efforts on Rank Interactive, their online gambling business. They then sold this to Betfair in 2013.

The Rank Group purchased 19 Gala Coral casinos in 2013 for £179 million. This acquisition made it the largest casino operator in the UK. They renewed their contract with Mecca Bingo in 2017 and will operate this bingo site for another decade using the Playtech Virtue Fusion software.

 

Rank Group Brands

The Rank Group operates many of the UK’s biggest and best gambling brands. Some of its most popular operations include:

Mecca Bingo

Mecca Bingo is synonymous with bingo in the UK. It has bingo clubs across the country and also offers online bingo and other gambling games via its online websites. For bingo, players can head to mecccabingo.com, and for all other types of gambling games, you can visit meccagames.com. These sites have become staples for online gamblers and allows players to easily access their favourite games on the go via the downloadable mobile app available on both iOS and Android devices.

Enracha

In 2011, the Rank Group launched Encracha, a Spanish gaming site that offers an array of gambling options. This includes casino table and card games, live casino games, bingo games and slot games.

Grosvenor Casinos

Grosvenor Casinos is the largest casino operator in the UK and a staple in most large cities across the country. There are 56 casinos available for gamblers to visit plus two casinos in Belgium and another two casinos, named Rank Espana, in Spain. Players can also visit the Grosvenor Casino website to enjoy online gambling.

 

The Rank Group continues to grow and has become a staple in the UK’s gambling industry, employing nearly 8,000 people. Despite a few hard years due to the Global pandemic, the future of this company looks bright. They have plans to improve their gaming machines at Mecca venues, introduce new jackpot games, launch new electronic roulette games and carry out refurbishments on their Grosvenor Casino venues. They will also be improving their online gambling area of the business by introducing live casino games.

Last updated: Jan 24, 2023