Your Southampton Genting is located pretty centrally, in fact right at the end of a very pleasant array of restaurants and bars called Oxford Street – not to be confused with the hellish shopper stew version of Oxford Street to be found in London. It’s not far from the cruise ship terminals, so you know what to do if you win big – get yourself off to Barbados. It’s actually a bit of a soft spot for me, as it was the first casino I ever ventured inside. Look what a geek that turned me into ….
This casino site has some jolly looking red umbrella-protected tables outside for coffee and cake, which on my early September visit looked rather appealing – probably not so much with horizontal rain in February, mind. Inside it’s a small site, quite narrow, with a right turn as you enter reception leading to the gaming floor. That floor is tight enough that there are just two rows of four tables, plus another one in a slightly wider area out the back.
In the same area just off the main floor are many of the slots, with the rest lining that narrow gaming floor leading to at best a bit of a squeeze, and at worst actually some pretty uncomfortable playing positions, with people wandering behind you as you are on your slot machine. They are all pretty close together too – I had a scowling Chinese lady playing and giving me evils, so naturally I found the loudest game I could (Firestarter, complete with a thunderous racket of guitar riffs) and pumped it up just to annoy her. She left shortly afterwards.
At the other end of the floor is the restaurant, bar and a comfy seating area too, and the entire site is absolutely stacked with … drapery. You know, curtains, padded looking walls, all that crap that costs a fortune if you want it in your home. It does give the place a nice atmosphere, and I imagine probably soundproofs it too, not that generally casinos need soundproofing.
On my visit they were evidently having some fire alarm problems, so after the second extremely loud wailing noise (other than my new slot playing enemy) I wandered off somewhere more quiet, passing on the way what must be the smallest cash desk in the known universe.
