Rank Group is on a mission to become the biggest casino operator in Europe. Its recent £250 million bid for Gala Casinos has demonstrated just how serious the operator is about acquiring the established UK casino brand.

Rank Group recently issued a statement about the process. The document cleared up any questions that employees and the general public might have about the potential acquisition:

“Rank confirms that it is in discussions with Gala Coral Group about a potential acquisition of Gala’s casino business”, the statement said. “The terms of any such acquisition have not yet been finalized and there is no certainty that any transaction will occur”.

Should the acquisition be successful, Rank Group would own nearly 60 casinos across Europe. According to a source, Rank plans on revamping the image of Gala Casinos, making the brand more appealing to female gamers and those in the 20s.

This deal could potentially change the face of land-based gambling in the United Kingdom, as the merging of the two companies could create a new perspective on the industry. We will keep you updated with any further developments as they occur.

The UK’s online gambling market is expected to see a great deal of changes this year. The introduction of a new tax will see profits decline for UK-based companies that have recently moved offshore, analysts to caution investors against putting too much faith in gambling stocks this year.

Ladbrokes, William Hill and Betfair are three companies listed on the London Stock Exchange. Over the course of the past few years, however, all three have moved to offshore locations to avoid paying steep gambling taxes to the government. While the move initially helped to improve their profits, the UK Gambling Commission has found a way to close the loophole by requiring offshore operators to obtain new licenses.

This is likely to have a detrimental effect on these companies and their profits, and the turmoil is likely to travel down into the pockets of investors. With profits expected to wane as a result of the new taxes, investors are have been warned against working with gambling stocks.

Already, prices are beginning to drop, as Ladbrokes has seen a 2p decline and William Hill has dropped by at least 4p. Things aren’t looking good for UK gambling stocks this year, since the year has already gotten off to a bad start.

We all know that gambling is a popular pastime for UK residents. Poker, casino gambling and the lottery are all seen as fan and effective ways to pass the time as an adult in the country. While the activity has always had a widespread appeal, things are beginning to really heat up in the UK’s gambling market, according to statistics released by the UK Gambling Commission.

According to a recent report, the UK Gambling Commission states that gambling participation rates are at an all-time high. Over 57% of UK adults participated in online gambling activities in 2011, a huge increase over the 55% took part in gambling in 2010.

According to the report, The National Lottery is the most popular gambling activity for UK residents. Over half of the study’s respondents claimed to have played the lottery over the course of the past year.

This news should be pleasing for Camelot, the company which operates The National Lottery. Over the course of the past year, the company has had a bitter rivalry with the new Health Lottery; however, these statistics indicate that The National Lottery is still the top choice for UK residents.

The UK’s online gambling market could see impressive profits even after the Olympic Games take place later this year. Researchers have coined the term ‘Olympic Effect’ to describe this phenomenon.

According to research conducted at Sheffield’s Hallam University, the land-based and online sportsbetting markets could see a 5% increase as a result of the London 2012 Olympics. The trend will continue on in years to come, and this occurrence has been called “The Olympic Effect”. The sports clothing market and participation in local community sports will also benefit from the Olympic Games in the years following the event.

This is great news for the UK’s gambling market, as it is one of the first reports that does not relate gambling in the Olympics to match-fixing and corruption. In addition to employing new tools to fight match-fixing, the UK already has one of the most effective gambling regulation systems in the world. While most countries were fighting to ban online gambling, the UK worked hard to regulate the industry. The country’s hard work will certainly show signs of paying off at the London Olympics.

Playtech has been very busy making business deals lately. Its most recent arrangement has been made with Geneity, acquiring the company for a whopping £11 million.

Established in 2006, Geneity is one of the top software providers in the United Kingdom. Over the course of the past 5 years, the company has acquired some impressive clients. Gala Coral and The Health Lottery are just two of the UK-based companies that use software provided by Geneity. Over the course of the past year, the company saw a profit of £2.3 million.

PlayTech has also made some interesting international deals lately, including a joint venture with Peermont Group in South Africa. Once online gambling is legalized, PlayTech and Peermont will work together to provide sportsbetting and e-gaming solutions to South Africans.

Germany will also see a new PlayTech deal, as the company has joined venture with Gauselmann Group. Obtaining 49.99% of the German company, Playtech will help to provide software to Germany gamblers.

These business deals will pay off handsomely for PlayTech. The company’s profits have been on the incline since 2009 and show no signs of slowing down. These new partnerships will see PlayTech expand into newly regulated markets, offering up lucrative business opportunities.

Today, Grosvenor Casinos kicked off the 2012 season of the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour in Manchester. This year’s event promises a great deal of excitement for all runners and spectators, introducing two new legs and lucrative new events.

Traditionally, the GUKPT has stayed within English borders, never venturing outside of the area. This year, two new legs will see the tour expand across borders into Ireland and Belgium. Legs 5 and 6 will take place in Dublin (May 6) and Brussels (June 3), adding a bit of international flavour to the tournament series.

The tournament itself will also undergo some changes with the addition of four new Main Events. These events will include two deep stacks and two £500 six-max tournaments, adding a great deal of excitement for all those involved. Winners of this year’s events will also be granted seats in all of next year’s Main Event games.

The GUKPT’s next stop is in Walsall on March 3, and promises to be an exciting event. From there, the GUKPT will travel at least once a month to a new location across the UK. The final will take place at the Victoria in London sometime in December.

Operators across Europe are working hard to get into America’s online gambling market. Ever since the Department of Justice announced that the Wire Act would no longer apply to most forms of online gambling, gaming companies have been scrambling to become a part of America’s online gambling world.

Ladbrokes is the latest company to attempt to enter the American gambling market. The UK-based operator recently spent £2 million on a 65% stake in Stadium Technology Group. The company is responsible for the IT departments in some of Las Vegas’ biggest casinos, including Treasure Island and the Golden Nugget.

Working with an American company seems to be safest bet for international operators. By entering the market on their own, they could face isolation and even legal repercussions. Companies like PlayTech and IGT have also gone this route.

This puts Ladbrokes in the perfect position to enter the American online gambling market. Las Vegas is one of the states that is closest to offering online gambling, and Ladbrokes will be in the ideal place at the right time.

The London Olympics are expected to be the busiest games to date. As such, the International Olympics Committee is expecting there to be a great deal of suspicious gambling activity. In order to fight the possibility of match-fixing, the IOC has announced that it will be teaming up with operators like Betfair to crack down on the crime.

As part of their agreement, Betfair will provide the Olympics Committee with any information on suspicious gambling activity. The company’s team of integrity experts will keep a close eye on all wagers being placed on the games. If they notice anything suspicious, they will be able to alert the IOC.

During the 2008 Beijing Games, Betfair also worked with the IOC. The two parties worked together to crack down on illegal betting, and saw a great deal of success.

Betfair anticipates that criminals will attempt to take part in betting crimes this year, as most bookmakers are offing odds on every gold medal event. This creates plenty of opportunity for crime to take place, but the company is positive that its strategy for fighting match-fixing will be effective during the 2012 London Olympic Games.

The UK Government is none-too-pleased with the amount of gambling ads that air on television each week. Tessa Munt, a Liberal Democrat, has recently made her concerns known, asking Prime Minister David Cameron to intervene.

She recently presented her case to Prime Minister Cameron, presenting statistics which demonstrate just how saturated the UK television market is with gambling advertisements. Munt stated that in just one week, 36 hours of gambling advertisements aired. This means that almost 20% of what is being broadcasted on television is gambling ads.

David Cameron seemed to agree with her point-of-view. He called the advertising tactics of gambling operators “aggressive”, stating that it may be irresponsible of them to bombard the television-watching public with so many advertisements about gambling.

Gambling operators would have to disagree, however. Popular gambling operator Paddy Power claimed that its tactics were more ‘entertaining’ than ‘aggressive’, but the government still seems quite shocked with the amount of ads being shown by gaming operators.

What this means for the casino marketing industry remains to be seen. Some believe that it may result in a cap on the number of advertisements a casino may show, while others believe that the government simply will not intervene.

It seems like gambling operators are doing whatever they can to keep up with the times. Victor Chandler, one of the most established names in the UK’s gambling market, has decided to give itself a little 21st Century makeover with a new name, BetVictor.

The company decided to undergo a rebranding in order to appeal across the entire European Gambling market. While ‘Victor Chandler’ is a recognizable name in the UK market, it does not appeal to players across the continent. The operator feels that this name would ensure consistency across the market.

“As a company we are always innovating and moving forward, as well as extending our brand across new territories”, says CEO Victor Chandler.

BetVictor’s rebranding also comes with a makeover of its website. The new BetVictor.com offers up an improved user experience, allowing players to quickly and easily access the information that they are looking for. The design has also been updated with a more modernized look.