Rank Group Plc, a British leisure and entertainment giant, has launched its highly anticipated online casino, Hardrockcasino.com, under the Hard Rock brand.
This is Rank's second interactive gaming site operated by its wholly owned subsidiary, Rank Interactive Gaming. The first site, Rank.com, was launched in November 2001 and offers a range of pay-to-play games.
Although Rank.com has done fairly well, Rank feels the new site will succeed due to the strategy of combining the strengths of the Hard Rock brand with the company's gaming capability.
"I believe we have created something unique in the online gambling industry, fusing the Hard Rock brand, and its long-standing association with music and entertainment, together with casino games," Damian Cope, managing director of Rank Interactive Gaming, said.
Hardrockcasino.com will initially be promoted to members of Grosvenor Casino (a land-based property owned by Rank), serving up a wide range of casino games available in both free-play and real-money modes. The new site, developed by software supplier WagerWorks, operates from the Isle of Man under a license issued in January 2002
"The Rank Group has been entertaining the British public for over 40 years," Cope explained, "and we now have the opportunity to extend that via our new online casino operated under our license from the Isle of Man."
The virtual casino's debut is part of the company's aggressive expansion in both online and offline markets. In addition to the Internet offering, two Hard Rock land-based casinos are scheduled to open this year, the first in Manchester later this month and the second in London in December.