Victoria Gate Casino Opens In Leeds With A Lavish Opening Event

The United Kingdom’s (UK) third largest casino, the Victoria Gate Casino opened its doors in the city of Leeds last week with a grand opening event. The £30 million casino has been developed as a part of the £165 million Victoria Gate retail project and offers a wide range of gaming and entertainment facilities.

Spread over 50,000 square feet, the gaming space features 24 gaming tables, 140 slot machines, 75 electronic gaming tables, and a poker room with seating capacity of 100 people. The poker rooms opens on Feb 9. It also has a large entertainment centre that can hold around 1,400 people at a time.

Owners Global Gaming Ventures (GGV) won the license to develop a large casino in 2013. GGV is a privately-owned entity controlled by two British entrepreneurs and is funded by a top U.S-based private equity firm. They gained financing of $41.75 million in February 2016 to complete the construction.

The city will receive on a yearly basis either £450,000 or four percent of the gaming revenue the casino collects for a full year. Under its agreement with Leeds City Council, the casino has to hire at least 205 people on a permanent basis with 90 percent of them being residents of Leeds.

The grand opening gala was attended by dignitaries and VIPs numbering over 1,200. The event featured a ribbon cutting ceremony by the venue’s manager as well as the ceremonial first spin of the roulette wheel. The entire complex is said to be the size of 18 tennis courts and features a whole host of amenities apart from the casino. There are two bars, a restaurant as well as three outdoor terraces

In a statement Patrick Noakes director of the venue said,

It’s a game changer. Not just for casino fans but for the city as a whole. Victoria Gate Casino will strengthen Leeds’ already diverse entertainment, dining and nightlife offering and will provide so much more than just gaming. Our three distinct venues – Live Bar, Curve and V Restaurant – will play a pivotal role in that.

The cocktail bar Curve offers an exciting array of 29 cocktails, craft beers and cask ales sourced from local breweries. It has also partnered with the premier champagne brand Moet & Chandon.

Another bar ‘Live’ is a sports bar boasting of a TV wall with 21 55-inch television screens broadcasting sports 24 hours a day. The fine dining restaurant V offers British classics and Asian cuisine.