The British gaming firm, Rank Group, saw a return to profitability in the fiscal year 2021-22. However, they cautioned about the future, citing the looming impact of inflation and rising energy costs as a potential obstacle.
The group reported a net profit of £40.4 million for the year ending June 30, a stark contrast to the £82.4 million loss recorded in the previous year.
To enable year-over-year comparisons, the company utilized net profit figures, excluding the effects of amortization, profits or losses from business sales or acquisitions, currency fluctuations, and other non-recurring expenses or income.
This positive shift was fueled by a near doubling of net revenue, surging from £325.3 million in 2020-21 to £644 million in 2021-22, a remarkable 98% increase.
Despite this growth, the total revenue figure remained below the £715.4 million achieved in 2018-19.
The company attributed this to several factors, including the persistent weakness in international travel, a decline in customer traffic during the latter half of the year due to the Omicron variant, and inflationary cost pressures impacting consumer discretionary spending.
These factors prompted the group to adjust its profit guidance for 2021-22 in June, revising it from £47 million to £55 million to approximately £40 million.
The path forward remains unclear.
The chief executive of Rank Group, John O’Reilly, depicted the difficult market conditions.
“It has been a demanding year for our UK venue enterprise, with Grosvenor Estates experiencing unforeseen trading weakness in the latter half of the year,” he stated.
“Our nine London gambling establishments, which contribute over 38% of Grosvenor’s income under typical trading circumstances, have observed a considerable decrease in customer counts, with foreign visitors scarce until the final weeks of the year. Grosvenor’s trading in the second half of the year was below expectations, prompting us to announce an adjustment to our full-year operating profit projections in the fourth quarter.”
“Although we have witnessed enhancements in London in recent weeks, the UK trading landscape is likely to remain demanding for the upcoming months, with inflationary pressures constricting consumer discretionary spending and escalating costs, particularly energy prices, placing strain on profit margins.”
The Digital Era
While the brick-and-mortar business has yet to fully rebound to pre-pandemic peaks, Rank’s digital business, which constitutes a smaller portion of revenue, has already surpassed pre-2019 levels.
In the 12 months ending June 30, Rank generated £183.3 million in revenue from digital gaming, compared to £176.4 million in the preceding period and £144 million in 2019. This represents a 27% increase from pre-pandemic levels.
In contrast, Rank’s land-based business revenue expanded by 209%, from £148.9 million to £460.7 million.
In spite of this, it still signifies a 19% drop from the £571.4 million gambling income level in 2019.
O’Reilly described the group’s modifications to its digital business framework: “In a demanding market setting, our digital business continues to progress. Moving the Rank brand to our exclusive technology platform is driving earnings growth and substantially enhancing operating margins, and we anticipate this pattern to intensify as the Grosvenor brand transitions in the upcoming weeks.”
White Paper
Rank’s fiscal report outlines the company’s perspectives on the forthcoming UK Gambling Act Review White Paper, which is designed to guide future legislative changes.
Following the publication of the White Paper, there will be numerous rounds of discussion with the Gambling Commission on specific policy recommendations. The company has presented some suggestions in preparation for this procedure.
The business proposes the government boost the quantity of slot machines permitted on casino floors, legalize random number generators and sports wagering products, and permit casinos to offer credit to high-wealth individuals.
The company also detailed its proposals for bingo rule changes: “We are equally wary about our proposals for land-based bingo reform.”
The present “80:20” regulation, which mandates that clubs maintain 80% of their machines as increasingly antiquated C or D class machines to offer 20% of the more sought-after B3 machines, is outmoded. We propose doing away with this regulation and permitting side wagers on bingo main stage games.
Rank also advocated for modifications to the digital regulations that do not have a detrimental impact on the industry: “We oppose the implementation of statutory taxes and an outright prohibition on free bets, both of which would diminish our competitiveness.”
“We anticipate that any alterations to affordability thresholds and online slots limits will establish a boundary that enables customers and operators to adjust to changes reasonably and furnish a more uniform secure gambling experience without further regulatory expansion.”
O’Reilly also stated that, generally, businesses welcome the forthcoming reforms. “We are disheartened by the postponement in the UK government’s release of the gambling regulatory white paper,” he said.
“The land-based casino and bingo sector requires a long-overdue modernization of its operating rules, which the government has acknowledged in its review objectives. We expect Rank to be well-prepared to profit from this once the review is concluded.”
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