SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Rank Group Plc has migrated ‘Bella Casino’ onto its proprietary operating platform, thereby completing the first stage of the technology integration of its acquired Stride Gaming assets.
The LSE gambling group underlined progress on the key technology directive of merging Stride Gaming’s multi-brand UK online casino and bingo portfolio with its proprietary systems to expand its ‘Rank Interactive’ business unit.
Closing 2019 trading, Rank formally completed its £115 million acquisition of London AIM-listed Stride Gaming, moving to bolster its UK igaming presence by securing Stride’s fast growth challenger brands including Aspers Casino, Kitty Bingo, Lucky VIP, Bingo Extra, Regal Wins and Spin-&-Win.
The integration of Stride brands onto Rank Interactive’s proprietary platform has been marked as a key project by Rank leadership, which will allow the company to pursue “a leaner, more agile approach to product development, with the ability to respond more swiftly to market and regulatory changes”.
Furthermore, Group CEO John O’Reilly outlined the key benefits of an enlarged brand portfolio, helping Rank Interactive secure cost synergies and strengthen its B2C/B2B foundations for its international expansion strategy.
Bella Casino is the first Stride property to migrate from its existing Bede platform to Rank Interactive systems, but others are soon to follow.
The platform migration project has been led by Ian Smith, Chief Technology Officer of Rank Interactive. “We’re delighted to have achieved what we set out to do last year, on time and on budget, and we are very proud to have successfully delivered the migration of the Bella Casino brand in line with our acquisition plan,” he said.
“Our customers will now benefit from a constantly changing and exciting proposition that is underwritten by a thorough safer gambling experience and lends itself to enhanced customer experience and personalisation.
“The transformation of our digital technology is a significant undertaking but with some of our bigger brands including Mecca and Grosvenor rattling down the line, there’s a lot of exciting developments ahead of us.”
