hippodrome casino

Changing times for west London’s casinos

Few industries have enjoyed such a wild rollercoaster ride in the past decade as the casino industry. And in west London, many gaming establishments have sought to counter negative press and their newfound digital counterpart by implementing some innovative new promotional techniques.

The 1960s saw something of a casino boom in our nation’s capital. And it looks like there will be a new wave of efforts to try and reacquaint us with this golden age of the gaming tables.

One striking new example is the newly-launched Hippodrome Casino that’s enjoyed a £15 million investment to include a new 150-seater cabaret room and what’s promised to be a fine-dining experience courtesy of the US-based restaurateurs, The One Group.

In terms of the actual gaming options, the Hippodrome has also been quick to implement some of the most high-profile gambling tournaments. Last month saw a huge PokerStars festival taking place at the Hippodrome casino which gathered together some of the world’s best poker players in a bid to take a share of the £400,000 Main Event prize.

Such large prize winnings will be an attempt to counter the recent accusations that Londoners suffer among the worst gambling odds across the nation. But whilst large casinos like the Hippodrome enjoy their legendary reputation, it’s become harder for smaller casinos to compete with their online alternative.

The past decade has seen a wave of online gaming sites like MrSmithCasino enabling gamers to climb aboard titles like their Jack and the Beanstalk slots game from the convenience of a touchscreen. And as such, it’s become hard for the traditional bricks-and-mortar casinos in west London to compete, particularly with the spiralling business costs in the capital.

This trend isn’t helped by the likes of casinos like Genting Casino Cromwell Mint in Kensington suffering from the negative publicity caused by their decision to ban an individual who won big on their roulette tables.

The casino gave little reason as to why they took the decision, but the individual’s apparent ability to guess where the roulette ball was going to land will have undoubtedly influenced their choice to introduce the ban.

There was already a great deal of controversy about the building of a 30,000 sq ft venue on Cromwell Road over fears of antisocial behaviour. And with online casinos continuing to provide gamers with a safer and more convenient alternative, it’s hard to see how their physical counterparts can continue to cause anger amongst gamers and residents in west London.

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