UK Casino Owners
Gambling is a major industry in the UK, with revenues exceeding £15 billion from March 2022 to March 2023. It’s a key part of the UK economy and is projected to raise more than £3.6 billion in tax revenue across 2024–2025. According to the UKGC, 48% of Britons gamble on a monthly basis, but how much does the average punter know about the casinos they’re gambling on and the people behind them? That’s why we at Gamblizard want to take a closer look at the figures behind the biggest brands in this important industry, exploring their background, their ethos, and why it should matter to you.
The History of the UK Casino Industry
Gambling in the UK can be traced back centuries, as can the legislation surrounding it. The first enacted piece of gambling legislation, the Unlawful Games Act, was passed in 1541, as the government sought to ban gambling games such as “dicing, table or carding” to prevent it from interfering with military training. However, the law was rarely enforced, and many people continued to gamble regardless.
Only 27 years later, the first national public lottery was launched in England by Queen Elizabeth in an effort to raise funds to repair the damaged harbours. This set a precedent for lotteries to be used as a community fund-raising tool, helping repair communities and aiding people in need — a precedent that was adhered to by the Queen Anne lotteries of the 1700s, and one that’s still followed to this day.
Throughout the years, British gambling legislation has sought to protect the players, clamping down on illegally run operations and focusing on financial securities. One of the biggest changes occurred when the UK government passed the Gambling Act of 1845, which legalized gambling on games of skill and made cheating a criminal offence.
This arguably led to the creation of card clubs, providing a place for skilled players to enjoy playing (and presumably gambling) on their favourite games. One of the most widely known instances of these clubs is Crockford’s in London. The high-class casino, which closed in October 2023, started life as a bridge club in the late 1920s.
Crockford’s Casino London
As gambling on certain events (sports) became popular, the UK would always seek to regulate the industry by passing new legislation, such as the Racecourse Betting Act of 1928, and the Pool Betting Duty of 1947. In 1960, the UK government passed the Betting and Gaming Act, legalizing private casinos. For the first time in UK history, gambling operations had legally moved out of the hands of the government and into the hands of private casino owners.
There was significant pressure on casino owners in the early 1960s to prove that they could provide fair and safe gaming conditions to their players that would match that of the lotteries hosted by governments throughout the years. John Aspinall played a significant role in shaping the future of the casino industry after launching the Clermont Club, the first casino of its kind to hold a licence in the UK. The casino catered to the upper classes, transforming the perception of gambling as one of the seedy working class to that of a gentlemen’s game played by elites.
An image of the Clermont Club, the first licensed private UK casino
In modern Britain, gambling is enjoyed by millions of people across the entire social strata. Players have more options available to them than ever, with the Gambling Act of 2005 allowing online casinos to be based in the UK. This piece of legislation also created the UK Gambling Commission, Great Britain’s casino licensing and regulatory body.
Timeline of Major UK Gambling Legislation
- Unlawful Gaming Act passed in 1541, banning gambling games across the country (law was rarely enforced)
- Gaming Act of 1710 sought to prevent excessive gambling and deceitful gambling, protecting vulnerable players
- Gaming Act of 1845 legalised games of skill and made cheating a crime. However, the same legislation made gambling contracts unenforceable by law
- Racecourse Betting Act of 1928 regulated the betting market on horse racing
- Betting and Gaming Act of 1960 legalised private casinos
- Gambling Act of 2005 legalised the running of online casinos in the UK and set up the UK Gambling Commission to regulate the industry.
Why Casino Founders Should Matter to You
Gambling used to be a murky industry where you had to place significant trust in the person you were dealing with. Until the Gambling Act of 2005, players had no recourse to collect unpaid gambling debts. This meant that the trustworthiness of a casino owner was of utmost importance; if you couldn’t trust them to pay out when you win, there would be no reason to gamble with them.
This is a sentiment that still holds true to this day; knowing more about the founder and owner of a casino can help you determine whether or not you should patronise their business.
Trustworthiness
When playing at a casino, you’re putting up your hard-earned cash. You need to know that you can trust the parties that you’re doing business with before you start playing. Knowing that a casino owner is of trustworthy character is reassuring, as it’s their ethics that set the tone for the rest of the company. An unscrupulous casino owner may be able to maximise short-term gains, but their reputation will prevent them from continuing that business in the long term.
Values
When creating their business, the founders will have outlined a set of values that they want the company to adhere to. These values influence casino policy and can manifest in multiple ways, from the promotion of responsible gambling practices to community contributions.
Credibility
Due to the size of the UK gambling market, there are many “fly-by-night” businesses that are in the game to try and make a quick buck. These businesses are founded by people whose main aim is to maximise their profits in the short term and typically have no affiliation with the iGaming business.
Casino owners who have a background in iGaming and have worked their way through the ranks lend their company an air of credibility that shows they care about the industry. These founders are more likely to create a stable and reliable casino that will offer a safe and fair gaming context.
Profiling Prominent UK Casino Owners
Casino owners are considered to be some of the wealthiest people in the UK, but many gamblers know very little about them. That’s why we’ve done a deep dive into the people behind the biggest UK casinos of 2024.
Grosvenor Casino
Grosvenor Casino is owned by a parent company called The Rank Group, a publicly traded company which operates in the UK, Belgium, and Spain. This means that we can’t pin down a specific Grosvenor Casino owner. Grosvenor’s revenue across its UK locations and online casino totalled £362.6m million for 2023, but The Rank Group recorded a loss of £109.8 million for the year.
The Rank Group lays out its core values on its website using the STARS acronym, which stands for Service, Teamwork, Ambition, Responsibility, and Solutions. They’re committed to excellent customer service, working hard to find solutions to problems while acting responsibly within their community.
Hippodrome Casino
Simon Thomas is the executive chairman of the Hippodrome Casino, and thanks to his majority shareholder status, is considered to be the Hippodrome Casino owner. He took his place as executive chairman in March 2005 after being the managing director of Thomas Holdings Limited.
Simon has advocated against the imposition of parking charges in the West End of London, funding research proving that it would cost £800 million in lost revenue annually and put over 5,000 jobs at risk. Under his stewardship, the Hippodrome has won three Casino of the Year awards at the Global Gaming Awards in London.
The company achieved a profit of £6,890,602 for the 2022 financial year.
Simon Thomas, image by Casino Life Magazine
Admiral Casino
Admiral Casino is a brand owned by Novomatic Group which operates more than 2,000 gaming facilities globally. Novomatic Group is owned by an Austrian billionaire, Professor Johann F. Graf, who, therefore, can be considered the Admiral Casino owner.
Graf started his career importing American pinball machines before becoming an agent for a slot machine company in the UK. In 1980, he launched Novomatic, quickly expanding into Western Europe by 1981, and into Eastern Europe in the late 1980s.
Today, Novomatic has grown to become one of the biggest gaming companies in the world. Graf is one of the top 10 richest people in Austria with an estimated net worth of $7 billion. Novomatic is active across all areas of the iGaming industry, prioritising research and development to push the boundaries of what’s possible in this space.
Johann F. Graf, image by ӦӦNachrichten
888 Casino
The 888 Casino brand is owned and operated by evoke PLC, a publicly traded company which manages several well-known casino brands, including William Hill, Mr Green, and 888 Casino. The company rebranded to evoke from its previous name, 888 Holdings, to reflect the variety of brands under its umbrella.
As evoke is a PLC, there is no singular 888 Casino owner. The company was founded in 1997 by two sets of brothers — Ron and Shay Ben-Yitzhak, and Aaron and Avi Shaked — as Virtual Holdings Limited. Evoke’s vision is to “make life more interesting” which it does by offering players a world-class gambling setting. Their business model is based on four pillars:
- safer gambling
- data-driven research
- regulated market leadership
- and proprietary technology.
In 2023 evoke recorded an annual revenue of over $1.7 billion and a core profit of $389.94 million.
777 Casino
777 Casino is another brand owned by 888 Holdings PLC, now evoke PLC, meaning that it falls under the same parent company as 888 Casino. As a publicly traded company, there isn’t one 777 Casino owner. Instead, the company is available to buy and sell on the stock market, meaning it has millions of owners at any one time.
As mentioned above, the values of evoke PLC are based around creating an engaging yet safe conditions for its players, aiming to “make life more interesting” while keeping the security of the players as a top priority.
Duelz Casino
Duelz Casino is owned and operated by SuprPlay Limited, which itself is owned by a parent company called SuprNation. The SuprNation brand was founded by Henric Andersson and Joakim Stockman who can be considered joint Duelz Casino owners.
Joakim has a background in marketing with the Nordic Gaming Group and experience as the managing director at Betsafe and group CEO at Betit Group. Henric similarly comes from a marketing background. He started his career at Tele2 Italy before moving on to Betsson, where he eventually became CEO. He held the title of CEO alongside Joakim at Betit Group before joining forces to create SuprNation.
SuprNation values innovation and technology and is looking to use these values to improve the player pastime, creating the “world’s best gaming experience” with a particular focus on mobile gaming.
Bally Casino
The Bally Casino ownership hierarchy goes several levels deep; the site says that it’s owned by Gamesys, which is described as a Bally’s Corporation company. Bally’s Corporation itself is owned by a 23% stake by Standard General, a hedge fund founded by Soohyung Kim and Nichols Singer.
Due to the various levels of company ownership, it’s hard to nail down the exact Bally Casino owner, though, by transitive properties, it would have to be both Nicholas Singer and Soohyung Kim. As recently as March 2024, Standard General has made an offer to buy the remaining shares of Bally’s Corporation, in an effort to turn their 23% stake into a majority stake.
While the casino is partially owned by Standard General, Bally’s Corporation has more to do with the day-to-day running of the operation. Their ethos is based around player safety; they’re committed to providing top-of-the-line player protection and security measures to ensure everyone can gamble sensibly.
Casimba Casino
Unfortunately, we’ve not been able to find concrete information on the Casimba Casino owner. The brand is managed by White Hat Gaming Limited, and the Casimba Gaming brand was recently created after a merger between Whitezip and Markor.
The former Whitezip CEO Dersim Sylwan has taken charge of the company as its new CEO. Dersim’s career in iGaming started as the Campaign Manager for 24hPoker.com, before taking marketing manager and project manager roles at Bwin and Svenska Spel respectively.
Casimba Gaming values the player experience, vowing to give its customers the “best service around” which it achieves by partnering with some of the biggest game providers in the industry, such as Evolution, Play’n Go, and NetEnt.
Gala Casino
Gala is one of the biggest brands in the UK, offering casino gaming and bingo across the country. The Gala Bingo brand was bought by The Rank Group (who also own the Grosvenor Casino brand) in 2012. However, the Gala Casino brand is owned by LC International Limited, a parent company that was founded in 2004 in a joint venture between Coral Group and Ladbrokes.
LC International is now owned by Entain, formerly GVC Holdings, which is a publicly traded company. This means that there is no singular Gala Casino owner. While there isn’t a defined Gala Casino owner, the site follows a clear code of ethics surrounding player safety. The casino created ARC (Advanced Responsibility and Care), implementing technologies that try to prevent gambling issues before they manifest, thereby creating supportive conditions for its players.
Genting Casino
The Malaysian businessman Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay is the founder and owner of Genting Group, the parent company which owns the Genting Casino brand, making him the de facto Genting Casino owner. Tan has an estimated net worth of around $2.2 billion and is among Malaysia’s top 10 richest people.
Tan has been the director of the Genting Group since 1976, giving him nearly 50 years of experience in the industry. During that time, Tan has shaped the Genting brand on an international scale, opening resorts in three countries across Asia, as well as multiple resorts in the US.
As part of that shaping, Tan has based the Genting Group’s values on a commitment to innovation and new technology while remaining socially responsible within the countries it operates. Tan also aided the Mashantucket Pequots in establishing the Foxwoods Resorts Casino in Connecticut in 1990.
Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, image by The Peak
Les Ambassadeurs Casino
The historic Les Ambassadeurs Casino has changed hands multiple times since the club was opened in 1941 by John Mills. The current Les Ambassadeurs Casino owner is Paul Suen Cho Hung, a Chinese businessman who is the chairman of Enviro Energy International Holdings Ltd and a majority shareholder in Birmingham City Football Club. It appears that Paul prefers to stay out of the limelight, as we have been unable to find a confirmed picture of him.
We have also little information on the ethos of Paul, but based on what we could find out about the casino, it’s clear that they’re committed to providing the kind of high-class casino experience that can only be achieved by an exclusive member’s casino such as Les Ambassadeurs. However, we do know that Paul holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of South Australia and made his money in minerals.
Casumo Casino
Rather than one Casumo Casino owner, there are a total of 6 co-founders: Kim Larsen, George Westin, Bill Friedman, Razmus Svenningson, Benjamin Vincenti, and Oscar Simonsson.
George Westin has arguably been the most active of the co-founders, founding multiple iGaming companies during his career. As well as co-founding Casumo, George has also founded Happy Bingo, Maxify, and Hero Gaming, where he sits as chairman and CEO to this day.
When creating Casumo Casino, the goal was to play a part in shaping the future of the iGaming industry through design and re-invention. Casumo Casino is also dedicated to player support, offering a dedicated team on hand 24/7, as well as responsible gambling measures that players can use to limit their access to gambling.
Pink Casino
Pink Casino is a subsidiary of LeoVegas Gaming PLC. As LeoVegas is a publicly traded company, there isn’t a dedicated Pink Casino owner. While we know that LeoVegas Gaming was founded by Gustaf Hagman and Robin Ramm-Ericson, we know little else about the men who founded the company.
That being said, the ethos of Pink Casino is clearly laid out on its website. Their aim is to create a safe and welcoming casino for all players, which it achieves through its safer gambling program. They have a team of responsible gambling experts on hand 24/7 to deal with any queries, as well as a variety of tools that put the power in the players’ hands.
In 2022, LeoVegas was bought out by MGM Resorts.
Quinn Casino
The current Quinn Casino owner is Brenda Quinn, daughter of John Quinn (commonly known as Seán). John was at one point the richest man in Ireland before facing bankruptcy in2011. Brenda joined the company in2017 as chief operating officer before taking over as CEO in March2023. Her role at Quinn Casino was her first foray into the industry of iGaming, having previously held a position as a project manager atSMC Products Limited.
The philosophy of Quinn Casino is outlined as “Give more back every time.” The site is committed to providing excellent value to its customers via its products and services. The company also believes it is responsible for protecting players, which it achieves by implementing safeguards into its website that allow users to manage their gambling habits.
Brenda Quinn (first from the right), image by Irish Independent
How Much Do Casino Owners Really Make?
We all know that casino owners are rich, but to answer the question of “How much does a casino owner make a year,” we’ve done some digging into the financials of these companies and displayed them in the list below.
Casino | 2023 Annual Profit |
---|---|
Grosvenor Casino | £362,600,000 |
Hippodrome Casino | £6,890,602* |
Admiral Casino | N/A |
888 Casino | £308,000,000 (EBITDA Profit)** |
777 Casino | £308,000,000 (EBITDA Profit)** |
Duelz Casino | N/A |
Bally Casino | Annual revenue of$2.3 billion** |
Casimba Casino | Annual revenue of$108 million** |
Gala Casino | $20.6 million |
Genting Casino | ~£4.5 billion** |
Les Ambassadeurs Casino | Annual revenue of$22.7 million |
Casumo Casino | Annual revenue of$55 million |
Pink Casino | N/A |
Quinn Casino | €2,200,000* |
*Numbers for 2022 financial year.
**Numbers reflect that of parent company.
Pros and Cons of Owning a Casino in the UK
Being a casino owner may seem like a license to print money, but there are a surprising number of pitfalls that come with the job.
- Pros
- High Demand: With nearly 50% of UK residents regularly participating in gambling, the demand is extremely high. This provides the opportunity for significant profits if your casino is popular enough.
- Regulated Industry: Gambling is a regulated industry in the UK and requires operators to stick to strict guidelines on how to conduct business. This level of transparency and safety helps attract customers who value secure gaming while ensuring that your business operates in a legitimate manner.
- House Edge: Casino games have a built-in house edge which means the casino will always win in the long run. If you’re able to keep customers coming through the door and operating costs low, you’re almost guaranteed to make a profit.
- Cons
- High Operating Costs: The UK is an expensive market to operate in. The cost of the licence starts at £9,138, going up to £23,435 depending on the annual gross value of sales, while the annual fee can range from £5,809 up to £76,289. Gambling companies operating within the UK must also pay a 15% tax levy.
- Competition: There are more than 2,300 gambling operators in the UK market as of the 31st March 2023. Keeping your business relevant amongst such competition is a tough ask for many casino owners and makes it difficult for newcomers to penetrate the market.
References
- “Betting and gaming duties.” Office for Budget Responsibility, www.obr.uk/forecasts-in-depth/tax-by-tax-spend-by-spend/betting-gaming-duties. Accessed on July 8, 2024.
- “Betting and gaming tax receipts in the United Kingdom from 2000/01 to 2023/24.” Statista, April 2024. www.statista.com/statistics/284338/betting-and-gaming-united-kingdom-hmrc-tax-receipts/. Accessed on July 8, 2024.
- Bullmore, Joseph. “The House of Cards: Inside Mayfair’s fabled Clermont Club.” The Gentleman’s Journal. www.thegentlemansjournal.com/article/the-house-of-cards-inside-mayfairs-fabled-clermont-club/. Accessed on July 8, 2024.
- Davies, Rob. “Record revenues at UK gambling firms amid rise of online slot machines.” The Guardian, Nov. 30 2023. www.theguardian.com/society/2023/nov/30/record-revenues-at-uk-gambling-firms-amid-rise-of-online-slot-machines. Accessed on July 8, 2024.
- Fung, Gloria. “The 10 richest billionaires in Malaysia in 2024 – net worths, ranked: from Genting Group CEO Lim Kok Thay and Shangri-La luxury hotel boss Robert Kuok, to Quek Leng Chan and Ananda Krishnan.” https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3252414/10-richest-billionaires-malaysia-2024-net-worths-ranked-genting-group-ceo-lim-kok-thay-and-shangri. South China Morning Post. Accessed on July 8th, 2024.
- Gambling Act 2005. United Kingdom. Legislation. Apr. 7, 2005. www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2005/19/contents. Accessed on July 8, 2024.
- “HIPPODROME CASINO LIMITED REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022.” United Kingdom, Companies House, find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/05497987/filing-history. Accessed on July 8, 2024.
- Industry Statistics – February 2024 – Correction: Official statistics. UK Gambling Commission. www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/statistics-and-research/publication/industry-statistics-february-2024-correction. Accessed on July 8, 2024.
- “Johann Graf.” Forbes. www.forbes.com/profile/johann-graf/. Accessed on July 8, 2024.
- Keena, Colm. “Profits rise at gambling website owned by Seán Quinn’s family.” The Irish Times, Oct. 19, 2022. https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2022/10/19/profits-rise-at-gambling-website-owned-by-sean-quinns-family/. Accessed on July 8, 2024.
- “Lim Kok Thay.” Forbes. www.forbes.com/profile/lim-kok-thay/. Accessed on July 8, 2024.
- Remote gambling software licence. UK Gambling Commission. www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/licensees-and-businesses/licences-and-fees/remote-gambling-software-licence. Accessed on July 8, 2024.
- “Simon Thomas.” Gambling Insider, Apr. 5, 2023. www.gamblinginsider.com/executive/20/simon-thomas. Accessed on July 8, 2024.
- Statistics on gambling participation – Year 1 (2023), wave 2: Official statistics. UK Gambling Commission, June 27 2024. www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/statistics-and-research/publication/statistics-on-gambling-participation-year-1-2023-wave-2-official-statistics. Accessed on July 8, 2024.
- Turner, Beth. “Rank Group releases H1 2023/24 report: Grosvenor operating profits up 198%.” Gambling Insider, Feb. 1, 2024. www.gamblinginsider.com/news/24083/rank-group-releases-h1-202324-report-grosvenor-operating-profits-up-198. Accessed on July 8, 2024.
- Wynne, Lucy. “Exclusive: Casimba Gaming CEO Dersim Sylwan discusses new merger.” Gambling Insider, June 13, 2023. www.gamblinginsider.com/in-depth/21456/exclusive-casimba-gaming-ceo-dersim-sylwan-discusses-new-merger. Accessed on July 8, 2024.
- Neilson, Bryce W. Gaming History and Law. www.gamesboard.org.uk/articles/gaming-law-bryce-neilson-aug-2020.pdf. Accessed on July 10th, 2024.
- Kinsey, Andy. Queen Elizabeth’s Game Of Chance: Unveiling The Story Behind The First-Ever Lottery In 1569. iNostalgia. https://inostalgia.co.uk/national-history/first-lottery. Accessed on July 10th, 2024.
- R, Harris. Lottery adventuring in Britain, c.1710-1760. https://www.history.ox.ac.uk/publication/831917/ora-hyrax. Accessed on July 10th, 2024.
- Annual Report and Accounts 2023. EvokePLC. https://www.evokeplc.com/application/files/8317/1371/0080/888_Annual_Report_2023.pdf. Accessed on July 10th, 2024.