| Revenues up at British Casinos as Customers Return in Record Numbers |
If there is one thing that might suggest we are coming out of a recession, it’s the news that casinos in the UK are reporting record numbers of visitors.In a trading statement Thursday, Rank reported a 9% rise in like-for-like sales from its land based casinos. It also said visitor numbers are up almost 7% on the 16 weeks leading up to April 18.
Figures from the Gambling Commission, the UK gaming regulatory body, show visitor numbers at casinos across the country are at a 5-year high, with 16.6 million people attending one of Britain’s 143 casinos in the year to date.
However, it is not just the recovering economy that has seen a rise in profits. The removal of draconian laws preventing a customer entering a casino 24-hours before registering with the venue has been a key benefit. Also, catering for the British public’s insatiable desire for poker has been a big draw, with many UK casinos now providing daily low limit tournaments.
Ian Burke, CEO of Rank, believes that the groups chain of G Casinos have got the right mix of casino games, poker tournaments and entertainment for its customers.
Mr Burke: "We've tried to turn the casino into a mainstream leisure experience, with food and entertainment as well as gambling. The average spend per head is £30-£35. We are still seeing strong growth in admissions and it's worked very well for us."
Rank is planning to launch more G Casinos over the next two years as UK licences become more available.
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