THE controversial relaxation of Britain’s gaming laws has helped to transform Gala Coral into the country’s biggest private company, with sales of £7.4 billion.

The betting behemoth was created by October’s £2.18 billion private-equity-backed merger of Gala, the bingo-hall and casino operator, and bookmaker Coral Eurobet, backed by Candover, Cinven and Permira. The deal propelled it to the No 1 spot in the latest KPMG Top Track 100 league table, published today in association with The Sunday Times as a separate supplement.

The annual league table ranks Britain’s biggest private companies by sales and has been compiled by Fast Track, the Oxford-based research and events company, for the fifth year.

Gala Coral has taken advantage of a change in gambling taxation to introduce popular, low-margin betting products such as its fixed-odds betting terminals and internet poker sites. Growth is expected to continue with extended opening hours at bingo halls, and with casinos advertising for the first time.

Two other gaming groups, the bookmaker Betfred (No 43) and Bet365 (No 58), are also in the league table.

Private equity is pushing the growth of other companies on the league table. Somerfield is the top-ranked new entry at No 3, with sales of £4.6 billion, after being taken off the stock market by private equity.

Saga, the over-fifties holidays-to-insurance group, also majority-owned by private equity, recorded the biggest jump on the table, climbing from No 89 last year to No 50, with sales of £657m.

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