Hippodrome Chairman calls for Leicester Square to be officially recognised as London’s casino quarter

Simon Thomas moots new marketing handle for the capital’s West End

Simon Thomas, Executive Chairman of London’s Hippodrome Casino, has called for Leicester Square to be officially recognised as the English capital’s casino quarter.

He believes that the density of the casino entertainment on offer in Leicester Square, which alongside the Hippodrome includes the Empire, Horizon, Rialto and the imminent Trocadero Casino, which is being developed by Genting, it’s time for Leicester Square to be properly recognised as London’s Casino Quarter.

Genting is currently transforming part of the historic London Trocadero into a new entertainment and leisure venue, featuring a casino, restaurants, and bars. This development aims to revitalise approximately 37,000sq.ft of currently vacant space within the Grade II-listed building on Coventry Street.

Thomas said: “Leicester Square has always had its fair share of spotlights, mostly trained on the stars making their way up the red carpets at film premieres. But over the past 14 years, those lights have started to pick up something else – the Hippodrome Casino. Not surprising, as we’ve attracted a huge amount of worldwide publicity for what we’ve built here. Now, with serious investment and ambition from other casinos in the area – the Empire, Horizon, Rialto and the imminent Trocadero Casino – it’s time this part of Leicester Square was properly recognised and given the official nod as London’s Casino Quarter.

“What a fantastic new marketing handle that would be for this part of the West End,” he added. “When we opened the Hippodrome in July 2012, the intention was always to do something different. Not just gaming, but a full, experience-led offer with theatre, restaurants, sport and late-night energy – something that gives people a reason to come into central London and to stay longer. That didn’t happen by accident. It came from sustained investment and a willingness to push the model forward. And it’s clear that others in the Square are now doing the same.

“Within a very tight footprint, you now have a group of venues that are actively redefining what a modern casino can be – large, professionally run operations, significant employers, open late, heavily regulated, and used to managing high volumes of customers safely, every single night.”

In February, The Hippodrome, the UK’s largest & most popular entertainment and casino venue, and an established cornerstone of West End life, has now welcomed 20 million customers through its doors.

Thomas added: “We all bring footfall into the West End, extend dwell time and attract international visitors who might otherwise not come into central London at all. More than that, we align almost perfectly with what London says it wants.

“Both the Greater London Authority and Westminster City Council are planning to strengthen the night-time economy and building a genuine 24-hour city – one that is innovative, experience-led and commercially sustainable. That ambition is right. But it only works if it recognises what is already working on the ground.

“This casino cluster isn’t theoretical – we’re already operating at scale and doing exactly what a modern night-time economy needs: giving people high-quality, well-managed places to spend their time and their money,” Thomas explained. “So the question for London’s decision-makers is a simple one – if this is already happening, why not recognise it properly and build on it? Designate it. Support it. Market it. Recognising a Casino Quarter wouldn’t be a favour to operators. It would simply be acknowledging reality – and using it to strengthen the West End’s global offer. Other cities would do that without hesitation. London should too.”