RANK-GENTING

Malaysia`s Genting Builds Stake in UK`s Rank

Malaysian casino operator Genting has accumulated a significant stake in UK rival Rank , newspapers said on Sunday.

Rank, which owns the Grosvenor Casino chain, has been tipped as a takeover target since a recent profit warning hit its shares.

A ban on smoking and the forced removal of lucrative slot machines had sparked a sharp decline in its bingo business, while a surprise hike in taxes had hit casino profits hard.

Media reports and analysts have linked a string of names to a possible offer for the firm, including Ladbrokes and U.S. casino giant Harrah's Entertainment .

The Sunday Telegraph and Sunday Times said the stake comprised about 10 percent of Rank's shares, while the Mail on Sunday said the stake was over 3 percent.

Last month, Rank rejected an offer from Harrah's in which it offered to swap its own UK casinos for a 28 percent stake in the enlarged Rank, newspapers said.

Neither Rank nor Genting were immediately available to comment.

云顶收购对手朗克股权

(伦敦路透电)马来西亚赌场经营公司云顶集团(Genting)已累积英国竞争对手朗克集团(Rank Group)的相当股权。

拥有Grosvenor Casino连锁赌场的朗克集团，自最近发出盈利警讯后股价受挫，已成为被收购的对象。

禁止抽烟令和被逼移走角子机导致该公司的宾果游戏(Bingo)业务受到影响，而税务突然提高也严重打击到赌场的盈利。

媒体报道和分析师已提及可能提出献购该公司的名字，它们包括英国网络赌博公司Ladbrokes及美国的哈拉斯娱乐公司(Harrah’s Entertainment)。

媒体报道说，云顶集团买入朗克集团约10％的股权，也有些则报道说是超过3％。

朗克集团刚在上个月拒绝哈拉斯提出以其英国赌场的28％股权来交换扩大后朗克集团的股权。

朗克集团和云顶集团均不对报道置评。