London Casino Hippodrome
Hippodrome Casino Cranbourn Street, Leicester Square, London, WC2H 7JH. Company status Active Company type Private limited Company Incorporated on 4 July 2005. The name changed several times during its time as a music hall and theatre before eventually becoming the London Hippodrome. Once a Theatre; Now a Casino An archaic word, a hippodrome is a venue that hosts horse races and other forms of equestrian entertainment.
London’s casinos will once again shutter as the city is forced into lockdown by a surge of COVID-19 infections, described as “deeply troubling” this week by Mayor Siddique Khan.
The casinos had only recently reopened following a monthlong so-called “circuit breaker” lockdown that ended on December 2. Previously, they had been operating under a 11pm curfew, having reopened in August after the country’s initial March lockdown.
But while the industry has railed before against the perceived injustices of lockdown restrictions, there were few voices of dissent Monday. The circuit breaker appeared to have had little effect. Cases are soaring in London and the southeast, where health authorities have identified a new genetic variant of the coronavirus.
‘Spreading More Quickly’
UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said Monday that the mutated strain is not believed to be more dangerous than previous strains and is highly unlikely to be resistant to vaccines. But he added that it “appears to be spreading more quickly” and may be responsible for the surge in infections in the region.
At the same time, Hancock announced that from Wednesday London would be upgraded to tier 3, the highest level of coronavirus restrictions. This prohibits indoor mixing between people not of the same household. And it means pubs, restaurants, and entertainment venues — like casinos and bingo halls — must close.
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It also means that London soccer grounds must once again close their terraces to fans. A restricted number had been allowed into the grounds to watch live games from December 2 onwards for the first time since March.
Surprisingly, bookmaking shops can remain open, provided restrictions are in place, including limits on customers, the removal of chairs, and a ban on live sports broadcasts to stop gamblers congregating.
Permanent Closures
The past nine months have been brutal for the UK’s casino industry. The Betting and Gaming Council said in October that lockdowns and curfews had left the land-based gaming sector down 70 percent when compared to the same point in 2019.
In July, Genting, one of the UK’s biggest casino operators, said it planned to lay off more than 1,600 workers and permanently close its Margate, Torquay, and Bristol properties after battling losses caused by the UK’s first national lockdown.
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At the same time, Caesars Entertainment UK announced that its Rendezvous Casino Southend had also fallen victim to the financial pressures of the coronavirus.
The post London Casinos Close Again as UK Battles Mutant Coronavirus Strain appeared first on Casino.org.
Casinos in London are among a number of entertainment venues that must close in England after the region was moved into the tier three level of restrictions due to a rise in the number of coronavirus cases.
UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced that Greater London and parts of Essex and Hertfordshire in the south of England will move into the strictest tier of restrictions from 12:01am on 16 December.
That means people living in tier three areas are unable to mix indoors, while pubs and restaurants can only stay open for delivery and takeaway.
Indoor entertainment venues, such as casinos and bingo halls, must close, while supporters are again unable to attend sports matches in the affected regions.
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The whole of Greater London must enforce the new measures, as well as the south and west of Essex, including Braintree, Chelmsford and Harlow, with Watford and Broxbourne among the affected areas in the south of Hertfordshire.
Football fans of London clubs were only allowed to attend matches on 2 December for the first time since March, with Arsenal being the first Premier League side to welcome back its supporters.
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While casinos have again been forced shut in the nation’s capital after reopening earlier this month, following a month-long closure as England re-entered into a national lockdown.
It was only 15 August that such venues first reopened after closing in mid-March, with the latest news a hammer blow for the casino industry. Hippodrome CEO Simon Thomas previously said he was “delighted and excited” at the London-based casino’s reopening on 2 December, with “hygiene protocols” in place to “ensure the continued safety of our customers and staff.”