It has been three years since the Hippodrome Theatre closed its doors for renovation, along with the neighbouring property of Cranbourn Mansions in London, with the intention of transforming into a glamorous new casino to rival the wave of online casino in UK businesses that have so far claimed a huge percentage of the gambling revenue for the country.
The Hippodrome Casino opened its doors earlier this week, positioned in Leicester Square, which will certainly be a popular location for international visitors and tourists. Boris Johnson was there to perform the opening ceremony, and he was pleased with the created of four hundred and fifty new jobs in the area thanks to the casino’s requirements for staff.
But with another casino opening earlier this year specifically to service Olympic visitors, are we seeing a few too many newcasinos in London? Soon we will get to the stage where you will see one near every tube station, and cannibalisation of revenue has to be assured when there are so many in the same area, even if that area is as big as the capital. No matter how much the land based casinos try to convince us of their appeal, it remains the case that online casinos are much more convenient to get to and offer better bonuses and promotions, as well as higher jackpots – particularly when it comes to progressive slots.
It may end up being the entertainment bonuses that draw people in to the new Hippodrome. There are three floors of gaming that may end up being somewhat overshadowed by the Matcham Room, a one hundred and eighty seat cabaret theatre. There is also a restaurant called the Heliot, with one hundred and fifty covers, and five bars, with additional event areas throughout the complex.
The CEO and co-founder of the Hippodrome Casino told reporters, “We will challenge the long-held conceptions of casinos in the UK as either too expensive for the normal man on the street, or tucked away in back alleys in the wrong part of town. In fact we’re determined to not only challenge them, but redefine the way in which visitors to the West End celebrate an evening out.”
He went on to add, ““We embody the ambitions of the changes to the Gaming Act which allows venues to offer visitors the opportunity to eat, drink, gamble and watch some of the world’s top entertainers, all under the same roof.”