This one is a quirky one, bang in the centre of Bristol with a car park right in front, the casino being set in a terrace of buildings (amusingly including an Open University building with a comedy wonky “y”). The first impressions are menacing to say the least, with the front door being on a buzzer from the inside – not encouraging, as it suggests to me nutters roaming the area, with the buzzer to protect the staff. The receptionist couldn’t have been more friendly however, and I was soon on my way upstairs to the gaming area. I could have used the lift, but along with most of the fixtures and fittings, it looked of a certain vintage, and in my view time spent trapped in a 50 year old lift is not time well spent.
The first floor is all electronic gaming and exceptionally loud Mah Jong. Aged machines abound, although they did have some modern Storm cabinets (as found in bookies). It’s another very hot site, with portable Aircon units on the floor with their hoses out of the window. It was as I was looking at the unit that I noticed the view out of the window, a genuinely staggering view over what I assumed was the cathedral, but I am reliably informed (by Google maps) that it’s a church, the cathedral is even more impressive. Honestly, some places have more than their fair share of landmarks … I’d have to rank it up there with the best casino views in the country, up with Aspers Stratford (Olympic Stadium) and Gala Liverpool (over the marina).
On the upper floor they run the table gaming only from 6pm, and there are just the 6 tables and a poker table on the lower floor.
There’s not much more to say about the place, I guess the geography of Bristol makes it appeal to a small market. One thing I did like though – they have a Pringle dispensing machine!
