The oldest casino in Britain closes its doors

Crockfords Casino in Mayfair opened in 1828.

UK.- The oldest casino in Britain has permanently closed its doors after 195 years. Crockfords casino in Mayfair, London, first opened in 1828. However, a fall in the number of customers has led its current owner, Genting UK, to close the venue following a 30-day consultation process.

The move follows the closure of other well-known London casinos The Ritz and The Clermont, which closed due to the fall in high-rollers caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. In the case of The Ritz, Hard Rock has acquired its licence but has not opened a casino. Some 100 staff who worked at the casino will either be relocated or made redundant.

President of Genting Casinos UK, Paul Willcock, told the Daily Mail: “There is a combination of factors which have put high-end London casinos at a competitive disadvantage to other global marketplaces and this has led to an unsustainable future for Crockfords in Mayfair.”

In a Q3 earnings call, Rank Group CEO John O’Reilly had said that the Middle Eastern high rollers who traditionally made up London casinos’ VIP revenues now preferred Paris and Milan due to the end of the VAT tax refund system when the UK left the European Union.

Crockford casino was established by a fishmonger, William Crockford. It was initially a private members gaming club at 50 St James Place but moved to 30 Curzon St after growing in popularity. In 2017, it was in the news after poker player Phil Ivey sued in a bid to recover £7.7m of baccarat winnings that had been withheld due to suspicions of cheating. The casino prevailed, although Ivey recovered his £1m stake.