Located in one of the West End’s busiest squares – the capital’s entertainment district – The Hippodrome Casino sits alongside London icons the Tower of London and Buckingham Palace as a ‘must see’ destination for domestic and international visitors.

With seven floors of entertainment, three casinos, London’s largest dedicated poker floor, a multi-award winning steak house, the 326-seat Magic Mike Theatre, eight bars and a brand new three-floor outdoor terrace, it represents a new, dynamic breed of casino for the UK.

Q: How was the casino reopening?
A: In one word: AMAZING. Our re-opening has actually come in two stages. Unlike the majority of UK casinos we seamlessly mix gaming, entertainment and food & drink, so we were fortunate to be able to open our new three-tier outdoor terraces when restrictions on hospitality venues only were partially lifted on April 12.

This meant we could begin the marketing and public relations campaigns for the venue early prior to our May 17 full opening, bring staff off furlough for training and gauge demand from visitors returning to the West End of London after what, for many, had been more than a year away.

We removed all gaming from the terraces as the law dictated and ran them purely for meals and drinks, with much success. We sold more Champagne in the month after April 12 than we normally sell in a full year of normal trading! This gives an indication of how popular the Hippodrome terraces have been, and how eager people are to come back into central London and start living their lives again.

When the first of the lockdowns was imposed in March last year we were determined to make good use of the time we were closed and finished three major projects: a new casino floor called The Gods; a brand new poker deck that has more than doubled the number of tables; and we added an extra tier to our outdoor terraces.

May 17 saw the further lifting of lockdown restrictions, albeit still with social distancing measure in place, allowing us to open the entire venue including all casino floors, the poker floor, electronic gaming and slots and our theatre show Magic Mike Live.

We cut some symbolic chains off the front door at one second past midnight and I was overwhelmed – and I have to say relieved too – to see a queue of 200 people waiting to get in, despite the fact that it was a rainy Sunday night.

Although our capacity has still been limited by around 50%, our gaming figures are extremely encouraging. Our steak house is recording record spend as customers are determined to celebrate their freedom, and bookings for Magic Mike Live have gone through the roof.

We are very hopeful indeed that the Prime Minister keeps his promise to lift the final restrictions on June 21 and things can go back to as near normal as possible, although we expect some restrictions such as mask wearing to continue for a few months more.

Q: What are the main security and health measures?
We invested significantly in safety and hygiene measure that surpassed the recommendations of Government to ensure the health and wellbeing of our staff and customers.

A: Perspex screens were installed on all gaming tables; track and trace protocols put in place for all customers; hygiene stations on all floors; staff training; and rigorous chip. As with everything we do at the Hippodrome, we went above and beyond the true requirement, which everyone appreciated. If people felt a little safer it was well worth the additional effort.

Q: What has the public feedback been since re-opening?
A: You only have to look at the amount of media interest in the Hippodrome re-opening on May 17 to truly understand the impact the business has on the wider West End of London. We had TV, radio and national media at the front door as I cut the chains and welcomed people back, and the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive in the press, on the gaming floors, on social media…people have been incredibly kind.

Obviously we need to earn money to make up for the massive losses we incurred during the lockdowns. But it’s important emotionally too that the Hippodrome is open.

The West End of London is an eco-system of business, we each do well when we all do well. There’s a remarkable camaraderie that sees us all work together and support each other.

Being open again is a signal to people worldwide that the West End is back in business, and determined to regain our global reputation for innovation and entertainment combined with the historical legacy London provides.

Q: What can you anticipate about Pokerstars London Series, to be held June 11-13?
Our tournament in May was the first multi-day tournament in the UK for 2021 and our very first event held in our new 3rd floor PokerStars branded home.  We hit the scene at a sprint with 286 entries, leaving the £40,000 guarantee behind.

Players loved being back on the tables and, importantly, said they felt safe in a protected environment that also delivered a great poker experience. Interest has increased exponentially within the poker community with great reviews and expect our second tournament to be as successful.  

Players just want to get back to the tables, hold their cards and hear the sounds of chips in a busy card room. So much so, we have upped the guarantee to £50,000 for June.

Q: How has the casino managed to adapt to the new normal due to covid-19 since March 2020?
A: Because of the requirements of social distancing we adapted the spaces we had available and repositioned some of the gaming tables, slots and electronics. Some areas dedicated to entertainment have been temporarily put on hold to accommodate new gaming areas, and we’ve been very pleasantly surprised at customer reaction.

It made us think harder about how we utilise space within the Hippodrome which will have future benefits for the business.

Q: Tell us about the Hippodrome online casino. Have you experienced a growth in online gambling?
A: The UK market has remained static. However our partners Betway are very ambitious and one of the strongest operators in the world market and we want to keep pushing to create a seamless product in terms of look and feel. We offer the highest standards when it comes to customer support, with 2 new apps being released this month. The arrival of our new Hippodrome Members App will see the integration of a live dealer element which we’re very excited about.