United Kingdom Casinos

Gambling in The United Kingdom

Although the United States has far more actual casinos than England or the United Kingdom as a whole, no other country on earth can compare to the UK in terms of sheer gambling opportunity. The UK also leads the world in gambling regulation with the Gambling Commission deeply involved in all aspects of land based and online casinos serving UK citizens.

"Modern" gaming came into existence in the early 1800s with the advent of private members clubs like Crockfords and the Victoria Sporting Club in London but gambling was completely unregulated before the Betting and Gaming Act 1960. Starting in 1961 several cabarets with gaming clubs like the Casino Club Port Talbot in Wales and Golden Horseshoe in London opened up.

The Gaming Act 1968 opened more doors, and finally, the Gambling Act 2005 authorized the Gambling Commission who began their work two years later. That same year it was decided that 16 regional casinos could be built with eight of them being "large," and eight being "small." It was left up to the local communities if they wanted to tender license and have a casino in their community.

In 2011, Aspers opened in Newham, east London at Westfield Stratford City. They also opened The Casino Mk in Milton Keynes in 2013, followed by Genting's Resorts World Birmingham in 2015, and Victoria Gate Casino, part of a £165 million retail development in Leeds. While considered a large casino by UK standards with more than a hundred seats in the dedicated poker area, 140 slot machines, a 24-table live gaming zone, 80 electronic gaming terminals and hundreds of sports betting terminals - it is anything but a "Super Casino" by other world standards. Additional large casinos are possible in Great Yarmouth, Hull, Middlesbrough, and Southampton.

Casinos in The United Kingdom

There are about 130 casinos in operation in the UK, not counting the thousands of betting shops that may offer fixed odds betting terminals with electronic casino-like games. The historic core and still most prestigious gaming area is Mayfair of London, but other exclusive clubs can be found at nearby Park Lane and Piccadilly. Look for iconic names like Les Ambassadeurs Club, Park Lane, Colony Club, and the Ritz.

The eight small casinos authorized in 2007 include a Partouche Casino at Sawclose in Bath open early 2018. Other communities have been less proactive in awarding their licenses, but Grosvenors picked one up in Luton, and the Opera House Casino in Scarborough intends to convert their current operation when the government amends the ratio of slots per gaming table. Casino 36 (Rubicon Casino in Temple Street) is set for Wolverhampton, while Dumfries and Galloway, East Lindsey, Swansea, and Torbay simply have not gotten around to dealing with it or have shelved the idea altogether.

Scotland has about a dozen casinos with Alea Casino Glasgow and Grosvenor Casino Dundee perhaps the most well known along with Grosvenor Casino Merchant City Glasgow. Grosvenors operates two small casinos in Wales. You'll also find the Rainbow Casino and Les Croupiers Casino in Cardiff. The Isle of Man offers Palace Hotel & Casino, and in Northern Ireland, there are several gaming venues but the Emerald Casino in Dundalk is the most well-recognized casino.

Other Gambling in The United Kingdom

Overall, residents of the UK bet enough each year to give operators nearly £12.6 billion in Gross Gaming Yield (GGY). Sports betting and other forms of wagering remain highly popular in the UK with well over 8,000 betting shops in operation with almost all of them offering fixed odds betting terminal. Betting arcades are falling popularity with less than 2,000 remaining.  The number of bingo premises is also declining with just under 600 in operation for 2016, the last year for which full numbers are currently available. Lottery sales continue an upward trend, and online gambling is steady accounting for almost a third of all GGY in 2016.