London casinos
The heart of the UK casino industry is based in London. Historically, some of the wealthiest people on the planet have come to London to conspicuously blow their cash, going back to the days of Sir John Aspinall, the original Playboy casinos and a host of other big names.
These days the London scene can be split into two, with the “Big 6” at the very top of the punting tree, still hosting the biggest players in the world, albeit with a bit more competition these days from the likes of Macau, Vegas and other gambling hotspots. These six sites – which generally are rather exclusive and certainly will have a dress code (unless you are super-minted) – are Les Ambassadeurs, the Ritz, The Clermont, Crockfords, Aspinalls and Maxim’s.
Most of the other 20 London casino are a bit less exclusive, and some don’t tend to bother with a strict dress code (although don’t bother heading wearing beachwear – not that that’s very practical most of the time in London anyway.) There’s still a bit of a hierarchy – Playboy, the Barracuda and the Sportsman for example would tend to be a little more refined – while sites like Aspers Stratford, The Empire and the G Casino Piccadilly would more closely resemble what you might find in your local high street outside London.
Aspers Stratford Casino, London
312 The Loft, Westfield Stratford City,London E20 1ETTel: 44 208535636
Grosvenor Russell Square Casino, London
61-66 Russell Square, Bloomsbury,London WC1B 5JSTel: 44 2078331881