In 2001 Ladbrokes, Britain’s largest bookmaker, sold its casino operations to Gala Group. For some time it has been apparent that the company is seeking to re-enter the casino industry at home and abroad. In the early ‘90s Ladbrokes made an ill-advised and ill-prepared excursion into Peru’s nascent gaming industry and retired, with fingers burned, soon after. The company is presently in preliminary talks with the Vietnam authorities, not about casinos but on the creation of a lottery based football betting exchange. Ladbrokes already has an agreement with the China Sports Lottery to assist with the opening and operating of pool based betting shops in Beijing Province.

In the UK the Ladbrokes Casino and Sports Bar is about to open at the Paddington Hilton, the company’s first foray back into the casino industry. The £5 million (US$9.2 million) joint venture between Ladbrokes and Alan Goodenough, former chairman of LCI, and his associate David Seton has created 150 jobs in the Paddington Waterside regeneration area. Ladbrokes considers that its investment will ensure the company is operationally ready in due course to bid for further UK casino licences under the Gambling Act 2005. The company strongly supports the case for Blackpool as the location for Britain’s one super casino and is proposing a scheme for the ‘Ladbrokes Palace of Light.’

The new Ladbrokes Casino and Sports Bar has been licensed under the 1968 Gaming Act and will offer three distinct zones in an attempt to appeal to a wide variety of customers. The Sports Bar offers live sports coverage of sport and sports news from Sky Sports, SIS and Ladbrokes Xtra. A Las Vegas style slot zone will offer 12 roulette terminals linked to a live wheel and 18 terminals linked to an automatic wheel. There will be 20 slot machines with payouts of up to £4,000 and 11 slot machines with payouts up to £500. The gaming floor offers a range of casino games including roulette, blackjack, 3-card poker and punto banco.

In addition an 80-cover restaurant with a glass-fronted wine cellar will offer a varied menu of Asian, Thai and European cuisine. As Alan Goodenough commented, “We’ve delivered the casino on time and on budget and believe we have created a casino which enables people to enjoy playing the tables in modern, stylish surroundings, as well as enjoy the latest live sporting action.” Ladbrokes once again is into casino operations and many believe that the Paddington Hilton is just the first small step to acquiring a large casino estate. (E-07.11.06)

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