Grosvenor casino russell square

British casino chain

Established in ,^[1]Grosvenor Casinos (formerly County Clubs and Grosvenor Clubs) is a UK-based chain of 53 casinos located in major towns and cities across the UK, with two unbranded sister casinos located in Belgium. Grosvenor Casinos is owned by The Rank Group who operate exclusively in the casino, bingo and online gaming industries across Belgium, Spain and the UK.

As of June , revenue was reported at £m, with an operating profit of £m - coming from a total of over million customers per year.^[2] Of these million customers, over million customer visits occur every year. The Grosvenor casino network currently employs over 6, employees across the UK. Their online casino hosts over games with themes spanning from traditional roulette, blackjack and poker - to the more modern slot styles and live gaming. Grosvenor are licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission.^[3]

Originally ‘County Clubs’, the casinos came to be known as ‘Grosvenor Clubs’ and in on 2 January, Grosvenor Clubs officially changed name to ‘Grosvenor Casinos’.

Grosvenor Casinos is currently the shirt sponsor for Fulham F.C. Grosvenor signed a deal to become the London club's main team partner in July

History[edit]

Acquisition of the Ricoh Arena casino[edit]

In April , Grosvenor purchased the casino inside the Ricoh Arena complex in Coventry for £,^[4]

Leaving the British Casino Association[edit]

During , Grosvenor Casinos announced they were leaving the now defunct British Casino Association (BCA). The BCA existed to promote casino best practice and influence UK government legislation surrounding gambling. Reportedly the BCA began to fail in promoting and improving the casino industry, and once annual membership fees were raised to £,, it saw the departure of Grosvenor, just as the large Gala Coral Group had withdrawn in October ^[5]

Loyalty card scheme[edit]

In May , the first roll out of a new plastic card service in Grosvenor Casinos was implemented with ‘Grosvenor Play Points’ entering 35 casinos across the UK. This came as a result of the Grosvenor Casinos and Play Points brands merging to create one loyalty card.^[6]

Gala takeover[edit]

Grosvenor Casinos completed their takeover of 19 casinos from the Gala Coral Group across the UK on 12 May ^[7] making them the largest casino network in the UK. A similar deal to acquire 23 casinos from Gala had previously stalled in due to a decision by the Competition Commission and OFT.^[8] The revised deal in saw 4 casinos removed from the agreement.

Redtooth partnership[edit]

On 28 April , Grosvenor Casinos announced a two-year partnership with the world's largest live pub poker tournament group Redtooth Poker. Grosvenor Casinos hosted the regional and national UK finals and online events. The move integrated Redtooth Poker and Grosvenor's own poker tournament, the Grosvenor UK Poker Tournament (GUKPT).^[9]

Live events[edit]

On 25 March , Grosvenor Casinos announced they were to host new poker event called the Goliath. Designed to attract up to 1, players, the Goliath had an initial buy-in at £ + £20 and offered a guaranteed prize pool of £,, with 25% of the registration fee going to the Marie Curie Cancer Care charity.^[10] The most recent Goliath event in became the largest poker tournament ever held outside of the US with a total of 3, players entering.^[11] For the event Grosvenor estimate over 4, participants will enter.^[12]

Grosvenor employees also played the highest poker tournament on record at the top of Mount Snowdon in September The 3,&#;ft. stunt was attempted to raise money for the Marie Curie Cancer Care charity, with a total of £11, being collected.^[13]

Controversy[edit]

In December staff walked out of four Grosvenor Casinos in London in a dispute over pay increases.^[14] A month later, around workers went on strike over the same ongoing dispute.^[15]

In September Northern Ireland's Social Development Minister, Nelson McCausland, dismissed the idea that a Grosvenor Casino could open due to the ongoing ban on casinos.^[16]

Technology[edit]

In November , Grosvenor installed software that would spot cheating at roulette tables. Developed by Ipsotek, the software detects a cheat called "top-hatting", as well as detecting cheating after "last bets" has been called. The software is linked to CCTV cameras monitoring the table at all times.^[17]

In October , Grosvenor introduced a new product to the casino industry, Pinball Roulette machines. The new machine offers single player roulette game and the ball is launched by a pinball-style trigger into the wheel. The main feature of the product is that it offered the player control over when they wished to spin the ball. Thirty of the machines, developed by Austrian Gaming Industries, were installed at 22 clubs across the UK.^[18]

During November , Evolution Gaming joined Grosvenor Casinos to create a ‘Live Casino’ targeting players on their online casino.^[19] The games include blackjack, roulette and baccarat and are available 24hrs a day, 7 days a week. The live game system is designed to produce an environment more closely matching a real casino experience.

In July , Grosvenor Casinos in London, Reading and Coventry created the world's first multi-site cloud casino experience called the IGT Cloud. The new technology offers analytical reporting tools which offer insight into product performance on a game-by-game basis. Operators can remotely change the games on the floor to provide a more customized gambling experience.^[20]

Grosvenor Casinos partnered with Tensator in to create virtual casino hosts. The Tensator Virtual Assistant Ultra stands 50&#;cm x 50&#;cm and replicates a live game in real time. The assistant also offers a range of information for players and other frequently asked questions.^[21]

In February , The Rank Group and Grosvenor Casinos joined with Jumio to use their Netverify solution. This was integrated into the casino's online database and is designed to provide customers with a more efficient identification procedure. Customers are required to scan their passport or driving licence via their device camera, and Netverify then authenticates it using a range of security features.^[22]

In November Grosvenor Casinos has confirmed the launch of new sports betting offering for its online and land-based players.^[23]

In the Grosvenor Casino brand was complemented by two new niche online brands, The Rialto^[24] and The Vic.^[25] These new online casino products represent the most popular real world venues in London and extend the Grosvenor Casino's digital footprint.

Awards[edit]

International Gaming Awards[edit]

Grosvenor and Rank were awarded the 'Casino Operator of the Year' award at the International Gaming Awards.^[26] Rank Group were awarded the 'Socially Responsible Operator of the Year Land Based' award in and ^[27][28]

Women in Gaming Awards[edit]

Grosvenor Casinos’ HR team were awarded Team of the Year at the Women in Gaming independent annual awards in June The team, led by Fiona Regan Head of HR, were awarded for their successful Hearts and Minds initiative, which focused on internal and employee recognition.^[29]

In they won the same award whilst also picking up the Inspiration of the Year award.^[30]

References[edit]