Once the beating heart of West End entertainment, the London Trocadero is stepping into yet another new chapter, this time as a luxury casino and restaurant complex. The building on Coventry Street, wedged neatly between Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square, has seen more reinventions than most London landmarks, and its latest transformation is already stirring both excitement and debate.
Planning officers at Westminster Council have approved proposals from Genting Casinos UK Ltd to turn the former nightclub and restaurant space into a two-storey casino, complete with a restaurant on the ground floor. The venue will cater to around 1,250 guests, with an additional 75-cover restaurant helping to bring a touch of polish to an area that has long mixed glitz with grit. The project is expected to create 350 jobs, including training opportunities for people new to the industry, part of the council’s ongoing push to revitalise the West End after the blows of the pandemic.
The redevelopment includes new shopfronts on Rupert Street, a fresh entrance on Coventry Street and upgrades to the windows and façade. For a space that once housed the SegaWorld amusement centre and later fell into disrepair, it’s a bold attempt to restore the building’s lost grandeur. The new casino promises a refined experience, where we would expect to find the best-in-class casino games as well as an elevated hospitality offering that blends seamlessly with the buzz of the area.
Of course, not everyone is convinced. The Soho Society has voiced strong objections, warning that another late-night entertainment spot could worsen noise and antisocial behaviour. They argue that the West End already suffers from overcrowding and nightlife saturation. But Genting has pushed back, promising a “highly regulated” venue with robust management and round-the-clock security. Council officers sided with the operator, noting that casinos are generally well-controlled and less prone to disorder than nightclubs.
Adding to the intrigue, the casino will share its building with a mosque and prayer space currently in development, an unexpected pairing that has sparked headlines. The mosque, backed by billionaire property developer Asif Aziz’s charitable foundation, was approved in 2023 and will occupy a separate basement section of the building. For some, it’s an odd juxtaposition: two ventures with entirely different purposes under one historic roof. Yet perhaps this coexistence captures modern London at its most authentic, layered, diverse, and sometimes contradictory.
The Trocadero’s long, winding history mirrors the city’s own evolution. From its origins as a 1890s restaurant to its SegaWorld heyday in the 1990s, the site has been a playground for shifting tastes and generations. Now, with Genting Casinos stepping in, the Trocadero looks set to reclaim its reputation as a West End hotspot, this time catering to those seeking sophistication rather than spectacle.
If all goes to plan, the new Trocadero may once again become a place to be seen. Only now, the clinking of glasses and low murmur of conversation will replace the whir of arcade machines, a fresh gamble for one of London’s most storied addresses.
