The Rank Group have confirmed that they will be adding sports betting terminals to their UK casinos from September following an overhaul of land-based gambling law.
The UK parliament enshrined new legislation in July that allowed casinos and gambling establishments to make a raft of upgrades to their venues, which include an increase in the number of machines allowed on the gaming floor and the legalisation of sports betting within a casino setting.
If all goes to plan, the Rank roll-out will coincide with the early weeks of the new English Premier League season.
Place Your Bets
The Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) was handed its own mandate for reform outside of the Gambling Act White Paper review, allowing ministers to fast-track changes through the House.
In their own 2023 paper, the DCMS – then staffed by Conservative government MPs – detailed the legislation changes they wanted to see in the land-based sector.
The idea was to boost the industry’s flagging appeal, which has been eaten into by the proliferation of Adult Gaming Centres – of which there are more than 1,500, with 300 of them open 24 hours a day – across the UK.
The changes were approved in both parliamentary houses back in June, before being added to the law in time for a July 22 commencement date.
Of those, gaming venues are now allowed to offer sports betting terminals on their casino floor. These machines, generally known as SSBTs (Self-Service Betting Terminals), enable punters to place bets on a wide range of sports and markets via the touchscreen device.
SSBTs have already been rolled out in numerous high street betting shops and at racecourses like Ascot, with casinos now able to join the party.
Previously, casino goers were permitted to bet on sports while on the gaming floor but only via their mobile phone – the new rules will allow for a more dedicated sports betting experience.
The number of SBBTs allowed within a casino will be determined by a number of factors, including the square metreage of the venue, but most of the major casino chains are in agreement that the change is a positive one for them in getting footfall through the door.
The gambling minister, Baroness Fiona Twycross, called upon the House of Lords to approve the changes back in June.
“The current regulatory framework prohibits these casinos from offering betting products, whereas venues licensed under the 2005 Act can do so,” she reasoned.
“This change will allow converted casinos not only to offer a new gambling product but to invest in other parts of their venues, such as sports bars.”
Interested casinos and gaming establishments will have to apply for a separate remote general betting (real events) licence to launch sports betting in their premises, with the Gambling Commission handed the power to approve and reject licence applications as it sees fit.
Those approved are likely to be given the green light to install SSBTs from September.
Doubling Down
In addition to the lifting of the prohibition on sports betting, casino operators can now add more gaming machines to their floors, too.
For venues that have a gambling floor of 280sqm or larger, as many as 80 new machines can be added – but no more than five times the number of gaming tables that are available in the property. That’s an increase on the previous rule, which only allowed for a ratio of 2:1.
And in another key change, customers can now use their debit cards when accessing the gaming machines – before, that was prohibited. This is seen as another key step in getting a new generation of players through the door.
This liberalisation of land-based gambling law has come at the right time for the Rank Group, who have revealed extensive investment in its flagship Grosevenor Casino venue, The Victoria, on London’s Edgware Road.
Rank have confirmed that a £15 million refurbishment project of the venue has been completed, with a brand new gaming floor, flagship poker room and a new outdoor terrace and bar.
Some sections of The Victoria had been closed off to customers during the renovation work, but the iconic venue’s doors are now fully open.
The number of gaming machines has been increased, as per the new law, across two gaming floors, while Rank have confirmed plans to install SSBTs at The Victoria, their other Grosevenor Casino venues and their other properties across England and Wales.