Rank Group’s casino makeover strategy is in full swing, starting with a £15m refurbishment of its Grosvenor London jewel – The Vic. 

Rank-owned Grosvenor Casinos has fully reopened its flagship venue ‘The Victoria’ in West London after a period of remodelling efforts closed off some parts of the casino to the public.

WIth what looks to be not just a fresh coat of paint but a completely upgraded gaming experience, the venue has spent the £15m allowance on significant improvements to its two casino floors, gaming terrace and poker room, among others.

Mark Harper, Managing Director at Grosvenor Casinos, said: “This £15m renovation marks our boldest investment ever in a single site and is a statement of intent to modernise Grosvenor’s presence in London and across other casinos in England and Wales in line with the opportunities provided to us by the new legislation.

“To celebrate six decades of gaming history at The Victoria, we’ve transformed this iconic spot into a contemporary destination. This is about reimagining what a flagship venue can be and doubles down on our commitment to elevate the player and gaming experience while also embracing the legacy of one of the world’s most respected casinos in the UK.”

Renovation driven by new UK rules

The reason for Grosvenor’s biggest investment to date in The Vic can be traced back to new UK government regulations that relax the machine-to-table ratio in UK casinos from 2:1, in addition to allowing debit card payments directly into the machines.

With the new DCMS-mandated rules, which are separate from the Gambling Review White Paper, casino provisions within the Gambling Act 2005 have been modernised to boost the land-based sector’s commercial appeal.

The first signs of the rules being able to safeguard casinos’ long-term profitability in the face of fierce competition from iGaming were seen earlier in May, when Rank Group’s shares went up after the DCMS first announced the draft.

In full force since 22 July, the reforms now allow The Vic to double its gaming machine portfolio to 80 machines, as well as offer customers sports betting for the very first time.

Similar to its venues in England, under the new rules Grosvenor can also roll out sports betting across its retail locations in Wales.

Rank Group has also previously stated that it is ready to rollout 882 new gaming machines on a short notice across its Grosvenor UK estates for a total of 2,249 units. 

Rank has also communicated that it is looking at how its Grosvenor properties in Scotland can benefit from the recent regulatory developments. Full 2024/25 preliminary results for the Group are expected on 14 August.

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