It would seem appropriate that the company that aims to bring Las Vegas glitz to the UK should have been acquired by Las Vegas operator Harrah’s Entertainment. When London Clubs International (LCI) opened its Manchester casino 235 last year, it claimed to be starting a revolution in the UK leisure industry – the first UK casino to be influenced by the newly-hip Las Vegas scene. Of course that distinction was also claimed some years previously by the Stanley Casinos operation Star City in Birmingham, which opened as the UK’s largest casino in November 2003.

LCI gained painful first-hand experience of the Las Vegas scene in a less than successful venture at the Aladdin - an experience that almost brought the company to its knees and to a bankruptcy court in the US. When it opened in 2000 the Aladdin was valued at US$1.2 billion but was finally sold for US$637 million to become the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino. LCI is now about to open The Casino At The Empire in London’s Leicester Square.

Described as ‘A touch of Vegas in the heart of London’ the capital’s largest casino is scheduled to open at midnight on 30 May. The building known as the Empire began as a Music Hall venue in 1884 and is believed to have been the location for the first-ever showing of moving pictures in Britain. The 4,000-seat cinema was divided in 1967 into a smaller cinema and the Empire Ballroom. The 235 location in Manchester also has Victorian routes – the casino is housed in a renovated Grade II listed Victorian warehouse.

Bringing Las Vegas style to Manchester and London has cost LCI £13 million (US$26 million) and £16 million (US$32 million) respectively. Both casinos place the emphasis on entertainment rather than traditional gambling. F&B takes on a higher profile and is expected to bring profit instead of being subsidised by the gaming division, and Manchester is probably the first casino in Britain to have a restaurant with ground floor street access. Live music and comedy nights will also figure prominently.

There may still be a long way to go before it can be said that Las Vegas has truly arrived in the UK. After all, the UK Gambling Act 2005 does not allow the attraction of mega jackpots - except at the one super casino already mired in controversy and unlikely to open for several years - and all those ‘freebies’ designed to create a buzz and bring in the punters. Perhaps British gamblers are not seeking Las Vegas but many will appreciate the broader entertainment offering and fine dining that the modern casinos are designed to provide. (E-05.04.07)

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