Rank extends US casino alliance

BRITISH gaming and entertainment company Rank Group has extended a commercial alliance with a tribe of pioneering Florida Indians in a $250m (£142m) casino complex.

The new US venture, part of Rank's Hard Rock stable, has just opened its doors and joins existing Hard Rock-linked gaming halls in Las Vegas, London, Manchester and other smaller sites in Florida.

The 3,000-strong Seminole tribe was the first group of native Americans to realise the commercial potential of operating gambling businesses.

The tribe's activities are exempt from state and federal taxes, handing it a lucrative advantage in the high-stakes betting world.

The Seminoles opened the country's first 'smoke shop', selling duty-free tobacco, in 1977. Gaming operations quickly followed and spawned a raft of profitable imitators among other poor tribes.

The latest casino in Hollywood, Florida, has 40 poker tables, thousands of gaming machines plus bingo, a staple of Rank operations. The companies said that the new facility - which is open around the clock - is the largest in the state.

Rank's Hard Rock division comprises more than 60 owned cafes, plus a slew of franchises and global rights to the brand. Hard Rock outlets favour loud rock music and are decorated with memorabilia from pop stars.

A breakdown of the stakes in the new casino held by Rank and the tribe was not disclosed.