Operator News
UK – Britain’s oldest casino Crockfords forced to close it doors
By Phil - 27 October 2023
After 195 years, the UK’s oldest casino, Crockfords, has been forced to close blaming the slow return of VIP foreign players following the pandemic.
It’s owner Genting made the decision to close the casino famed for its clientele of aristocracy, royalty and high-rollers after a consultation process last month. The venue employed 100 staff, who are now facing redundancy or being relocated to other Genting casinos. As well as the pandemic, the introduction of a tourist tax, which abolished VAT-free shopping for tourists in 2021 when the UK left the EU has also has an effect on the return of high-spending tourists.
Paul Willcock, President of Genting Casinos UK, said it was the ‘end of an era’.
“There is a combination of factors which have put high-end London casinos at a competitive disadvantage to other global market places and this has led to an unsustainable future for Crockfords in Mayfair,” he explained.
The casino was opened in 1828 by a former ishmonger, William Crockford, who became one of the richest self-made men in the country. It’s not the first casualty of the high-end, London casino market with The Ritz and The Clermont already forced to close their doors.
