Sept. 18 (Bloomberg) -- William Hill Plc, Ladbrokes Plc and Rank Group Plc rose in London trading as Dresdner Kleinwort analysts said gambling companies may be among the most resistant to a weakening U.K. economy.

Ladbrokes and William Hill each climbed 1.7 percent, after gaining as much as 7.3 percent and 6.3 percent, respectively, earlier in the day's trading session. Rank added 0.7 percent, after advancing as much as 8 percent.

``It's in people's mindset and human nature to gamble,'' Dresdner Kleinwort analyst Andrew Lee said today by phone. ``When things get tough, frankly they don't change that habit, it's part of their staple diet.''

Betting, casinos and bingo proved their relative resilience during the last economic slump in the U.K. between 1990 and 1992, Lee wrote in a note today. He repeated his ``buy'' rating on William Hill and has a price estimate of 550 pence.

An estimated price-to-earnings ratio of 5.8 for 2008 ``fails to recognize betting's relative resilience, ongoing benefits from recent regulatory change, online upside and debt facility headroom,'' Lee wrote of London-based William Hill.

Rank, the owner of Mecca bingo halls and Grosvenor casinos, rose 0.5 pence to 72 pence in London. Ladbrokes, which owns more than 2,300 U.K. and Irish betting shops gained 3.5 pence to 211.75 pence. William Hill, the operator of more than 2,250 betting shops, advanced 4 pence to 239 pence.

To contact the reporter on this story: Howard Mustoe in London at hmustoe@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: September 18, 2008 12:02 EDT