Grosvenor Casinos enjoyed a 33 per cent rise in operating profit during the second half of last year.

The Rank Group’s latest results were described as “satisfactory” by CEO Ian Burke, who noted that both the Grosvenor casino arm and Meccabingo.com performed well.

Group revenue increased five per cent to £312m, although adjusted profit before tax was down four per cent – this was attributed to one-off additional marketing costs in Blue Square Bet and higher operating costs in Mecca venues.

“Our focus remains on generating sustainable returns for our shareholders. This will be achieved by developing further our gaming-based entertainment brands as well as engaging positively with governments to ensure that our activities make positive social and economic contributions to the jurisdictions in which we operate,” said Burke. “Allowing for the slow start to the second half we remain confident in our prospects for the remainder of the year and in our longer-term growth strategy.”