Victoria Gate Casino opened doors in the UK city of Leeds on Thursday, January 26. A lavish ribbon-cutting ceremony saw city officials, specially invited celebrities, fervent casino players, and curious spectators gathering together to celebrate the launch of UK’s third largest casino and the largest one in the northern part of the country.
Spreading over 50,000 square feet, Victoria Gate Casino seems to have a little something for everyone. The venue’s casino floor features 24 gaming tables, offering players the opportunity to play some of the most popular table games, including roulette, blackjack, and poker, 140 slot machines, and sports betting options, among many others.
The venue is operated by Global Gaming Ventures (GGV), which was established back in 2010 as an online gambling-centered company, commissioned by the UK Gambling Commission. The company was granted a license for the development and operation of a “large casino” by the Leeds City Council in 2013.
As part of its agreement with city authorities, GGV has to pay the amount of £450,000 annually or 4% of its full-year net gaming revenue to the city. Its casino needs to employ permanently and full-time at least 205, of whom 90% should be residents of the Leeds City Region.
GGV invested the total amount of £30 million in its project. Thus, the newly launched casino has become the third largest one on the territory of the UK.
Victoria Gate Casino is part of a larger scheme introduced by the UK Government for the establishment of large casinos in eight designated areas around the nation. Here it is also interesting to note that the newly launched casino is part of the £165-million Victoria Gate retail development project in the heart of Leeds.
The UK has welcomed the latest representative of its land-based gambling industry at a time when the country’s gaming and betting market enjoys exponential growth, mainly driven by an increased iGaming activity. The amount of £13.6 billion was generated in overall gross gambling yield during the twelve months ended March 31, 2016, as reported by the UK Gambling Commission, up from £11.3 billion in the prior-year period.
Gross gambling yield from brick-and-mortar casinos saw a decrease to £998.08 million from £1.2 billion generated a year earlier. However, gross gambling yield from iGaming services doubled to £4.468 billion during the reviewed period.
