Super Casino Race Heats Up as Second Operator Bid for Southampton License

Gambling giant Grosvenor has entered the contest over the license ownership of Southampton’s proposed super casino.

Damian Aspinal and his team Aspers, who currently run the only two existing UK super casinos, face competition from Grosvenor who announced their interest in acquiring the ownership of the proposed property.

Grosvenor are currently the UK’s biggest casino operators, with 35 casinos, 98 bingo halls and an online gaming and mobile betting mobile betting service. The giant already operate in Southampton, in the Grosvenor casino on West Quay Road.

The casino is part of a new £450m development at Southampton’s Royal Pier, a joint venture between developers Morgan Sindall Investments Ltd and the Lucent Group.

Rise of the Super Casinos

Although internet gambling in Britain continues to grow, the development of the new super casino will generate significant traditional gambling revenue. More could be on the way nationwide as several other UK sites have also been given the go-ahead for similar developments.

Southampton has one of eight licenses awarded to operate a super casino in the UK, enabling them to host up to 150 slot machines and 30 Blackjack and Poker tables.
The casinos are similar in size to those found in famous gambling city, Las Vegas, Nevada.
The new operators will be unveiled after a two-step process. Bids are submitted to the council who will draw up a shortlist based on certain criteria.

The second stage, which takes place in the autumn, will see a panel of experts analyzing the short list before the council’s licensing committee makes the final decision.