Rank in talks to buy rival Gala's casinos He is already converting many of the Grosvenor outlets to a new G Casino brand, the first of which was rolled out in Manchester in 2006, aimed at attracting a younger clientele. Selling the casino wing would help Gala strengthen its balance sheet - but could also herald further break-up of the group, which is run by chief executive Carl Leaver, the former head of Marks & Spencer's international arm. There has been much speculation over the future of the Coral betting wing, which is run by Andy Hornby, the former HBOS chief executive. Since his appointment last year, there has been talk of a possible management buy-out or a bid for Coral from either private equity or an industry player. Any transaction by Gala is complicated by its investor base, mainly comprised of former lenders which traded their debt for shares at its financial restructuring. Getting a unanimous position on any strategic move by the group, which is chaired by former Debenhams' boss Rob Templeman, has proved tortuous. In the year to September 2011, Gala had sales of £1.1bn and earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation and exceptional charges of £261m. Neither Rank nor Gala would comment on the talks.