Richard Harris Leads Rank Group to £216.1M Q1 Revenue – Digital Up 6%, Grosvenor Gaming Machines Up 14%
The Rank Group has reported group like-for-like net gaming revenue (NGR) of £216.1m for the first quarter of its 2026/27 financial year, a 5% increase on the same period last year. On a channel basis, digital NGR grew 6% and venues NGR grew 5%, giving the operator a steady start to the year against a tougher UK tax backdrop.
Published on 15 October 2026 and covering the quarter ended 30 September 2026, the update shows growth concentrated in two areas, digital and Grosvenor casinos, while the Mecca venues business held flat and three sites were closed. It is a quarter that reads less like across-the-board expansion and more like disciplined, selective growth.
Inside Rank Group’s Q1 net gaming revenue numbers
The headline £216.1m breaks down across four channels. Digital contributed £64.9m, up 6%. Grosvenor venues delivered £108.1m, also up 6%. Mecca venues came in at £32.2m, flat year on year. Enracha, Rank’s Spanish venues business, added £10.9m, up 7%.
Within digital, the 6% rise was driven by 6% growth in the UK business, with the Mecca brand online up 7%. International digital NGR grew 4%. Rank noted that its UK operation held up despite the higher tax regime introduced in April 2026 and reduced above-the-line marketing spend.
Why Grosvenor gaming machines drove the quarter
The standout product line was gaming machines, where revenue grew 14%. Grosvenor venues saw visits rise 1% and spend per visit climb 5%, with table gaming up 3% and electronic gaming up 5% alongside the machines performance.
Rank has pointed to machine estate optimisation as a continuing priority, and the double-digit growth here is the clearest evidence this quarter that the strategy is converting into revenue. For a land-based operator, machines carry attractive margins, so growth of this scale carries weight beyond the percentage itself.
Mecca venues stay flat as weather weighs on this gaming operator
Not every part of the business moved forward. Mecca venues were flat at 0% growth, with customer visits down 3% year on year. Rank attributed much of that softness to the prolonged period of hot weather in the UK, which kept customers away from bingo halls, though spend per visit still rose 3%.
Rank Group closes three venues under tighter economics
During the quarter Rank closed three venues, in Swansea, Reading Central and Sunderland, describing them as no longer economically viable in the medium term. The closures sit directly alongside the revenue growth elsewhere, and together they define the shape of the quarter: grow the parts that are working, and exit the parts that are not.
What Richard Harris said about Machine Games Duty and the Budget
Chief Executive Richard Harris tied the results to the policy debate now facing the sector.
Richard Harris, Chief Executive
“I am pleased with the revenue growth we have seen in the first quarter, particularly the progress we continue to make in terms of gaming machine performance in Grosvenor and the resilience of our UK digital business.
Speculation regarding the upcoming Budget continues to weigh heavily on investor sentiment, but our message has been clear: any increase to Machine Games Duty will increase costs, reduce venue viability, lead to venue closures and job losses, reduce tax receipts and halt investment. HM Treasury recognised these economic arguments last year and, with the right conditions, we believe our casinos and bingo clubs can play an important role in the Government’s growth agenda.”
On outlook, Rank said it remains confident of delivering group LFL operating profit in line with market expectations for the current year, based on the current UK industry tax regime. Interim results for the six months ending 31 December 2026 are scheduled for 28 January 2027.
What Does Rank’s Q1 Mean for the Regulated Gaming Market?
Rank’s quarter shows a large operator can still grow NGR in a higher-tax environment, but only by concentrating investment where returns are strongest and closing venues that no longer pay their way. The 14% rise in gaming machine revenue sitting next to three venue closures is the signal worth reading: land-based growth is becoming more selective, not broader. With the CEO warning openly that any Machine Games Duty increase would accelerate closures and job losses, the real test for the sector is not this quarter’s numbers but whether the Budget leaves operators room to keep investing at all.
Source: The Rank Group plc
