Rank Group Reports Profitability Amidst Uncertain Future

The British gaming enterprise, Rank Group, has seen a return to profitability in the financial year 2021-22. However, the company is cautious about the future, as rising costs and inflation are creating uncertainty for their outlook.

Rank Group has reported a profit for the fiscal year 2021-22, but has also expressed concerns about the challenges ahead.

The group reported a net profit of £40.4 million for the twelve months ending June 30, a significant improvement compared to the loss of £82.4 million in the previous year.

The company clarified that net profit figures were used for comparisons across different periods, excluding amortization, gains or losses from the sale or purchase of businesses, currency fluctuations, and other non-recurring expenses or income.

This positive performance was driven by a near doubling of net revenue in the fiscal year 2021-22, reaching £644 million compared to £325.3 million in the fiscal year 2020-21, representing a 98% increase.

However, this revenue total remains below the £715.4 million recorded in the fiscal year 2018-19.

The company attributed this to a combination of factors, including the ongoing weakness in international travel, a decrease in customer visits in the latter half of the year due to the emergence of the Omicron variant, and cost pressures from inflation impacting consumer spending on non-essential items.

These factors prompted the group to revise its profit expectations for the fiscal year 2021-22 in June, lowering them from £47 million to £55 million to approximately £40 million.

The future remains uncertain.

The top executive of Rank Group, John O’Reilly, characterized the market conditions as difficult.

“The past year has been tough for our UK entertainment locations, with Grosvenor Estates experiencing an unanticipated decline in business during the latter half of the year,” he stated.

“Our nine London gambling establishments, which typically contribute over 38% of Grosvenor’s income, have witnessed very low customer counts, with almost no international visitors until the final weeks of the year. Grosvenor’s performance in the second half of the year fell short of expectations, prompting us to adjust our full-year operating profit projections in the fourth quarter.”

“Although we’ve observed some improvement in London recently, the UK market is likely to remain difficult in the coming months, with rising prices putting pressure on consumer spending and increasing costs, especially energy prices, impacting profit margins.”

The Digital Era

While the physical business has not yet completely recovered to its pre-pandemic peak, Rank’s digital operations, which account for a smaller portion of revenue, have already surpassed 2019 levels.

In the year ending June 30, Rank generated £183.3 million in revenue from its digital gaming business, up from £176.4 million in the previous period and £144.0 million in 2019. This represents a 27% increase from pre-pandemic levels.

In contrast, Rank’s physical business revenue increased by 209%, from £148.9 million to £460.7 million.

Although this figure is still 19% less than the £571.4 million gambling income in 2019, it is a positive development.

O’Reilly emphasized the group’s alterations to its digital business framework: “In a difficult market setting, our digital business continues to progress. Moving the Rank brand to our exclusive technology platform is generating substantial increases in revenue and operating profit, and we anticipate this to speed up further as the Grosvenor brand moves in the coming weeks.”

White Paper

Rank’s financial report outlines the company’s views on the upcoming UK Gambling Act Review White Paper, which will aim to establish the direction for future legislative changes.

After the release of the White Paper, there will be numerous rounds of discussion with the Gambling Commission on specific policy proposals. The company has presented some suggestions in anticipation of this process.

The business proposes the government increase the quantity of slot machines permitted in casino halls, legalize random number generators and sports betting products, and allow casinos to offer credit to high-wealth individuals.

The company also detailed its recommendations for bingo rule reform: “Our recommendations for land-based bingo reform are equally cautious.”

The prevailing “80:20” guideline, which stipulates that 80% of machine combinations in clubs should consist of increasingly obsolete C-class or D-class machines to provide 20% of the more sought-after B3 machines, is antiquated. We propose eliminating this regulation and permitting auxiliary wagers on the primary stage bingo games.

Rank also advocated for revisions to the digital regulations that do not have a significant detrimental effect on the industry: “We oppose the imposition of statutory levies and an outright prohibition on free bets, both of which would diminish our competitiveness.”

“We anticipate that any modifications to affordability thresholds and online slot limits will be implemented gradually, enabling customers and operators to adjust reasonably to the alterations and provide a more consistent experience of responsible gambling, without further regulatory encroachment.”

O’Reilly also stated that, overall, the company welcomes the forthcoming reforms. “We are disheartened by the postponement of the UK government’s publication of its gambling regulatory white paper,” he stated.

“The land-based casino and bingo industry requires a long-overdue modernization of its operational rules, which the government has acknowledged in its review objectives. We anticipate Rank to be well-positioned to benefit from this following the completion of the review.”

Sign up for the iGaming newsletter.