Hefner: Casinos in Macao and England Will Lead the Playboy Brand

The times they are a’ changing: Declaring that he wants to move his company away from “adult programming,” 84-year-old Hugh Hefner recently announced that not only does he want to open casinos in England and Macao, but he sees such businesses as the future of his media corporation. 

The original playboy told media that “We will be announcing casinos in both Macao, China, and London. As far as media goes, I think we’ll be involved in more mainstream ventures.” Hefner went on to explain that “we’re moving away from the adult programming because it’s not the future. I think it gets in the way of who we are, and who we want to be.” 

Hefner was speaking to press on the occasion of the release of documentary film Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel.  

The Playboy Empire did not see such great success in the world on online gambling, however. The Playboy Online Casino opened in May 2007 to good fanfare; designed mostly as an online casino in Canada and the U.K., the site was closed within two years after poor returns. Hefner plans for the new land-based casinos to bear the Playboy brand name, so perhaps we’ll see the return of Hef’s online casino yet.  

Macao and the U.K. represent two of the world’s more vital gambling centers. Macao has been enjoying a record year in 2010 and is now considered the biggest gambling area in the world. All sorts of gambling remain popular in the U.K., and most reputable British Internet casinos are doing healthy business.