London's Hippodrome to House a Casino    Jan 26, 2009

London's Hippodrome has declared its decision to commence the renovation of a hundred year old building in which they plan to start a casino with poker rooms. Though the application for the work was submitted in the year 2006, the plan only recently received its final approval after the company made an appeal to the High Court.

Originally built for Moss Empires Ltd by the renowned architect Frank Matcham in1900, the Hippodrome which stands adjacent to the Leicester Square can speak volumes of its colourful bygone era. The building has a sandstone exterior, interesting plasterwork, friezes and balustrades and has staged a number of water shows, circus, theatre and cabaret events in its time. Having staged the first dance of the Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake in London in 1910, Julie Andrews’ debut stage show and many other programs, the Hippodrome has seen many celebrities display their skills on its arena. Now this same venue is expected to house the celebrities of poker.

Some objections were put in by other casinos in the Central London District against turning the Hippodrome into a casino. However, these objections were rejected by the High Court under the appeal put forth by the legal team of United Leisure Gaming.

To quote Simon Thomas, Chairman of Hippodrome Casinos, in his interview with the Guardian, "London has a lot of hard gambling casinos but we are not going for the big gamblers. We think our customers will only spend a little over £30 a head. Our customers will get the opportunity to see some free cabaret, see a beautiful building, have a little flutter - we are not looking at the high end."

"It is a big project, a substantial renovation, and has to be done properly," he said. "We are getting all of the detailed plans in place. Westminster council are fantastically thorough, which is a good thing because we want to make it stunning again. This building has been neglected for too long."

United Leisure Gaming has decided upon £8 million plans to renovate the Hippodrome and to turn it into a casino. The renovated building will house slot machines, poker rooms, gaming tables, a cabaret bar and a Gordon Ramsey restaurant.

300% up to $600

No Bonus Code Required

Read Review

100% up to $500

Use Bonus Code: OPS500

Read Review

100% up to $600

Use Bonus Code: OPS600

Read Review

100% up to $200

Use Bonus Code: SE200

Read Review

100% up to $600

Use Bonus Code: Stars600

Read Review

100% up to $500

Use Bonus Code: OPS525

Read Review