The 8 Casinos You Should Visit in London, England

London is a popular destination for many reasons. After all, it has great historic sites like Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, Abbey Road, and many more. One of London’s most exciting reasons to visit is the casinos.

Unlike many gambling cities elsewhere, you won’t find many hotel and casino resorts in London. This is due to the way laws were enacted since World War II. You’ll find many stand-alone casinos. Some have hotel affiliations that give discounts.

Many times this is only a small inconvenience. In most cases, you may play under a guest membership. These last for a short period of time such as a week or a month. You may purchase a full membership if you feel it’s reasonably priced.

Casinos are licensed and regulated in the United Kingdom by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission. Unlike North America, where laws can vary based on the state or province that you play in, the UK has uniform policies and laws that casinos must follow. Such as a minimum age to enter a casino, which in the UK is 18.

Visiting London is a lot different from visiting other gambling cities. This is because the main purpose for visiting cities like Las Vegas, Monte Carlo, Atlantic City, or even Macau are primarily for gambling.

London is a tourist destination for many reasons, but the primary reason for many to visit isn’t gambling. People may visit sightseeing, royal events, entertainment, or sports for example.
Because of this, planning a trip can be tricky if you’re trying to avoid crowds.

Much like North American tourist destinations, you’ll find that the late spring and summer months are the most popular with tourists. It is also when the locals tend to go on their vacations.

December is also a popular month to visit London as with many cities, holiday displays bring out the crowds.

If you’re looking to go when the crowds have completely died down, the best time to go to London is in January and February of each year. The rates are usually the cheapest for flights and hotels in these months. This is partially due to the type of weather that the area experiences.

These are the months that have given London its reputation as being cold, damp, and foggy. When you visit a casino in London, you’ll notice some start differences than in casinos in other areas of the world. One of the first things you’ll notice is the lack of slot machines.

UK gaming laws are strict concerning slot machines and limit the amount a location may have. Usually, the establishments are limited to 10 or 20 per license. In recent years, some have gotten around this requirement by applying for multiple licenses.

Because of the lack of slots, you’ll notice more table games and poker rooms. So if you’re heading to London to gamble, get ready to play some roulette, blackjack, baccarat, or poker.

1 – Les Ambassadeurs Club

Among the most exclusive casinos anywhere in the world is Les Ambassadeurs Club. It has been the top scene for the rich and powerful to gather and relax for over 7 decades. It’s not uncommon to run into celebrities, politicians, aristocrats, and royalty at “Les A” as it is affectionately known.

Les A is a private club. But that doesn’t mean you can’t play there. Anyone wishing to play can purchase a 1-week trial membership for £1,000. If you wish to become a full-fledged member of Les A, it will cost you £25,000 per year and you’ll have to be approved by the membership committee.

The main floor of Les A has 15 slot machines and 16 gaming tables. But that’s not all they offer.Les A offers 5 private gaming rooms and an outdoor gaming area. The first private gaming area is the Marble Room. This room offers 5 private gaming tables, specialized dealers and croupiers that are trained in a wide variety of games, personal bar service, and a private dining area that allows you to enjoy a meal away from the dining room.

The Gold Room offers 3 playing tables where players can partake in games such as American roulette, blackjack, punto banco, and 3-card poker. Private and individual dining can be done in the room as well as the ability to watch television for news or sports.

The Palace Rooms is actually one large room that can be separated into 2 rooms. These rooms offer a total of 6 gaming tables as well as dining tables. The rooms have an outdoor private terrace where members can dine and smoke (smoking isn’t allowed inside the club).

The Leopold Room is the smallest private room in the club. It only has 1 table and is meant for people who’d like to play individually or with a friend or 2. It is usually booked for small private gaming parties.

The Smoking Garden is London’s largest outdoor gaming area. Les A provides members with 6 covered outdoor gaming areas, a smoking bar and cigar lounge-garden, pre-Castro Cuban cigars, underfloor heating, and televisions to view sporting events.

Because of the private rooms and the Les A’s desire to accommodate members, almost any modern game you can name can be played at the club. The main casino has the standard blackjack, American roulette, punto banco, and a new game called dice. Sports betting is also popular in the club. But if you play in the private rooms, you can ask for any game that you like and they’ll do their best to accommodate you.

Membership to the club has benefits other than the ability to gamble. The club has its own restaurant and bar (which isn’t age restricted since no gambling is done there).

In addition, they offer concierge services to book private jets, make reservations at hotels, restaurants and entertainment venues and they also offer discounts on hotel rooms.

If you play at Les A, be sure to dress up, while the dress isn’t formal, a coat and tie are appropriate for the setting.

2 – The Ritz Club

The Ritz Club is part of the Ritz London hotel. As a guest of the hotel, you can gain complimentary access to the Ritz Club to gamble, otherwise, you can become a lifetime member of the Ritz Club for £1,000.

The main casino of the Ritz offers 11 gaming tables. You can choose from roulette, blackjack, 3-card poker, and baccarat. They also offer 3 private gaming rooms. These rooms offer roulette, blackjack, and baccarat. They do charge an additional fee to use the private gaming rooms.

All games at the Ritz have a £25 minimum except for roulette which has a £5 minimum.

The Ritz restaurant is among the finest in London. It has recently been awarded a Michelin star. The restaurant isn’t open continuously throughout the day.

The Ritz has a strict dress code. On the gaming floor and in the restaurant you’ll need to have a coat and tie.

3 – Hippodrome Casino

The Hippodrome Casino is unique in London as it is both a casino and entertainment venue. It boasts over 4 million visitors each year. The casino offers 3 floors of gaming experience with over 100 slot machines and 45 gaming tables. Each floor has a unique gaming experience. The bottom floor is “Lola’s Underground Casino” which is a throwback to the Hippodrome design in 1900. It offers a variety of table games and has burlesque dancers that don’t exceed any boundaries of inappropriateness.

The 2 floor is the main floor of the casino featuring many table games and slot machines

The top floor offers private gaming rooms and a cocktail bar.

The Hippodrome has 6 bars and 1 restaurant. The restaurant opens at 5 pm daily and at least 1 bar is open 24 hours.

A 180 seat entertainment venue features music and comedy acts regularly. Wednesday night is comedy night at the Hippodrome.

You don’t have to buy a membership to play at the Hippodrome Casino. You can join the club, but it is really a rewards program. It allows you to gain comp points and it gives you 10% off food, drink, and entertainment in the building.

Just for signing up, you get £100 in vouchers just for signing up that include a free cocktail and £5 off the 24-hour menu. So it is worth it. Plus you’ll receive emails and other notifications of other specials and offers.

The Hippodrome Casino is a laid-back place, so you can dress casually when you go to play.

4 – Genting Casino Cromwell Mint

The Genting Casino Cromwell Mint is a smaller casino that fits in with the gambling scene in London. The casino offers 14 table games, which includes American roulette, blackjack, 3-card poker, and midi-baccarat.

As for electronic games, the casino features 21 electronic roulette games and a variety of slot machines, including progressives.

The Genting also has a poker room that opens at 7 pm each evening. They feature £1 to £2 cash games each evening.

They also offer a variety of poker tournaments. Buy-ins are as little as £40 in most cases and provide for £20,000 or more in chips.

In addition to gambling, the Genting also has a restaurant that features a variety of European, Asian and Middle Eastern cuisines as well as a buffet. There’s “graze menu” for morning and afternoon snacks and on Sunday, they offer a traditional Sunday roast meal.

The Genting also features a late bar which is open until 4 am each day.

There’s no membership required to play at the Genting, but it does have a rewards program. You can earn points for playing in the casino, dining, or drinking. So it’s a good idea to join to maximize your experience at the casino.

5 – Grosvenor Casino Barracuda

While you may not find the legendary sleuth Sherlock Holmes on Baker Street, you’ll find the Grosvenor Casino Barracuda. This is part of a chain of casinos throughout the United Kingdom.

Along with the table games, the Barracuda also features 30 slot machines and a number of electronic roulette games. One thing that the casino lacks is poker. Unfortunately, if you’re looking for Texas hold ‘em or Omaha, you’ll have to look elsewhere.

But if you can live without poker, the Barracuda has many amenities including a private area with a bar known as the White Room where private parties and high stakes gaming can occur. Major sporting events can also be viewed in the White Room when it isn’t booked for a private event.

The Barracuda also has a restaurant where you can get lunch or dinner. They have regular live music performances that you can attend.

Membership is required to play at the Barracuda, but the good news is that it’s free. The dress code is casual so you don’t need to wear a shirt and tie unless you want to.

6 – Park Lane Club

The Park Lane Club is an exclusive casino in London. It requires a membership, which costs £1,000 per year. The casino features American roulette, blackjack, and baccarat along with electronic roulette machines (some have progressive jackpots) and slot machines.

The games at the Park Lane Club can be high stakes. Roulette has a £2,000 maximum bet per number. Blackjack is capped off at £20,000 per box and you can go wild with baccarat with stakes up to £100,000. The Smoking Terrace provides outdoor gaming opportunities while you enjoy a selection of the club’s cigars. Roulette, baccarat, blackjack, 3-card poker, and sports betting where you can view the games on the terrace’s HD TV screens are available.
The casino also has private gaming rooms available.

Along with gambling, you can also grab a bite to eat at the Jewel of Mayfair restaurant in the casino. The restaurant features a selection of Middle Eastern, European, Indian, British, and Oriental cuisines.

The club also has a bar, the Dreams Bar at the Park Lane Casino which is open daily.

7 – Grosvenor Casino Golden Horseshoe

Located a kilometer north of the Kensington Palace, the home of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and his wife Princess Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, you’ll find the Grosvenor Casino Golden Horseshoe.

The Golden Horseshoe offers 8 roulette tables, with 30 electronic terminals connected to them to maximize the playing experience. They also offer a variety of slots, blackjack and 3-card poker.
If you’re new to gambling, they offer a free learn to play tables.

The casino also offers sports betting and the opportunity to watch who you’ve bet on in the sports bar and lounge, which is open 24 hours a day.

If you’re interested in poker, they’ve 5 poker tables available, however, they don’t run any tournaments.

Like other Grosvenor properties, membership is required to play, but it’s free. You can dress casually to play at the Golden Horseshoe.

8 – The Sportsman Casino

If you’re looking for table games or slots in a relaxed atmosphere, the Sportsman is a great place to be.

The Sportsman offers 18 tables, including 9 American roulette tables, 6 blackjack tables, 2 3-card poker tables, and a punto banco table.
Along with the table games, you can choose from over 40 slot machine games.

Unfortunately, no poker rooms or other variations of poker than 3-card are offered at the Sportsman.

If you’re hungry, the casino offers the Zaman restaurant. It’s open from 6 pm to 1 am each night and offers a wide variety of dishes to appease every palate.

The casino and restaurant each have a bar. The casino bars is open noon to 5:30 am every day and serves food from 12:30 pm to 2:30 am.

No membership is required, but they do have a rewards program. The casino is part of the Caesars Entertainment family of casinos, so it uses the Caesars Total Rewards program. Use your card when you play to earn comp points for discounted and free perks like meals, hotel rooms and more.

Conclusion

As you can see, London provides great and diverse opportunities to gamble. When you gamble in London, be sure to research before you go. Because many of the casinos in London are small, they may change some of their offerings. A good example of this is the Sportsman Casino which recently eliminated Pai Gow in favor of adding a second 3-card poker table.

But you’ll also want to check for events or promotions that may be offered. While you won’t find many promotions at a private club with membership fees, you may find them at casinos that are open to the public. As for events, most casinos (even the private ones) have some type of event, even if it is a tournament.

If you gamble regularly and are near London, you may want to consider buying an annual or lifetime membership to enjoy all the perks that come with it. Some may be pricey, but if you can afford it and gamble enough, it could be worth it.

Finally, if you’re heading to the casino for the first time, be sure to bring ID. They’ll need to check it to get you signed up for memberships and verify who you’re if you win over a certain amount.