On a recent Saturday night in Leicester Square, queues outside the Hippodrome Casino stretched down the pavement. But not everyone was there for blackjack or roulette. Many were headed upstairs to a steakhouse dinner, rooftop cocktails, or even the West End performance of Magic Mike Live. The casino floor was just one part of a broader, carefully curated night out.
Another popular gambling venue in London, run by Metropolitan casinos, invites you to their Arabian-inspired evenings with live entertainment and a chance to win £500 in Free Play.
What is happening?
This captures a quiet transformation in London. Casinos, once thought of as the preserve of gamblers and tourists, are now positioning themselves as nightlife hubs. Instead of simply offering games of chance, they now compete with restaurants, bars, and clubs for attention.
Dining, DJs, mixology and immersive design are reshaping the way Londoners and visitors experience a casino night. You can find all casino parties going on in London right now at eventbrite.co.uk.
Why Casinos Are Changing
For much of the past decade, London’s nightclub scene has been in decline. Dozens of casino venues in london have closed due to licensing issues, rising rents, and shifts in nightlife culture. At the same time, consumer demand has moved towards what the hospitality industry calls “experiential leisure”: an evening that combines entertainment, food, and atmosphere in one place.
London casinos have moved to fill the gap. With late licences, large venues, and prime locations, they are uniquely placed to blend dining, nightlife, and gambling. In Mayfair, Leicester Square and Victoria, operators are reinventing themselves as social destinations for a generation less focused on gambling alone.
Attendance Trends
The shift appears to be paying off. According to industry figures, London’s casinos attracted an estimated 4.5 million visitors in 2023, up from around 3.8 million in 2019.
Much of this recovery has been driven by the Hippodrome, which now welcomes millions of visitors annually across its seven floors. Its mix of theatre, rooftop terraces, and restaurants has allowed it to position itself alongside landmarks such as the Tower of London or Buckingham Palace as a “must-see” attraction for international tourists.
Attendance is not just about gaming. Internal data from several operators suggests that up to one-third of visitors never gamble during their time in a casino, instead attending shows, dining, or social events. This figure has grown consistently since 2021, underscoring how nightlife programming is becoming central to the business model.
The New Casino Experience
At Horizons Casino, which reopened after a major refurbishment in 2024, the gaming floor now shares space with an open-fire Anatolian restaurant, private dining rooms, and a cocktail terrace. The vibe is closer to a lifestyle venue than a gambling hall.
The Hippodrome Casino is perhaps the most visible example of this shift. Its rooftop bar overlooks Leicester Square, its steakhouse competes with nearby West End restaurants, and its theatre hosts nightly performances. Roulette and poker are still present, but they are no longer the sole reason to visit.
Meanwhile, Grosvenor Casinos have begun introducing DJ sets, themed events, and “social roulette nights” designed to bring in younger audiences. In Mayfair, the Wynn Mayfair (formerly Aspinall’s) maintains its reputation as a private gaming club, but even here, hospitality has become as important as exclusivity.
Food, Drink, Music – and the Tables: Events that Blur the Lines
The strategy is simple: if visitors come for the dining or music, they are more likely to try their hand at gaming. This “dual draw” has proven especially popular with younger Londoners who see casinos not as intimidating gambling dens, but as part of a broader nightlife circuit.
The menus reflect this ambition. At the Hippodrome, prime cuts of beef and an extensive wine list sit alongside late-night cocktail menus. Horizons has gone further, with chefs preparing Anatolian dishes over an open fire in full view of diners. Music completes the shift: DJs spin sets well past midnight, turning restaurants into dance floors and blurring the line between club and casino.
Nowhere is this reinvention clearer than in the Hippodrome’s programming.
- Magic Mike Live, conceived and directed by Channing Tatum, remains one of the fastest-selling shows in West End history. The 90-minute performance attracts hen parties, tourists, and couples, many of whom end the night with drinks or a late spin at the tables.
- The Heliot Steak House, judged among London’s best, offers panoramic views over the Grand Casino while doubling as a pre-theatre dining spot.
- The Rooftop Terrace, spread across three floors, accommodates up to 150 guests and blends garden-inspired design with cocktails, outdoor dining, and even gaming tables.
- Permission Lounge, a newer addition, focuses on curated cocktails, live music, and a lounge-style social atmosphere – offering a nightclub experience within the casino walls.
Other venues are following suit. Grosvenor Victoria has introduced themed nights, live DJs, and cocktail masterclasses. Horizons Casino has started hosting cultural events and food festivals, aligning itself more with the Soho restaurant scene than with traditional gaming clubs.
A Response to Wider Trends
This evolution is not unique to London. In Las Vegas, casino resorts have long offered dining and entertainment alongside gaming. But in the UK capital, where casinos are far smaller and more tightly regulated, the reinvention represents a conscious pivot towards sustainability in a crowded nightlife market.
Industry insiders note that this diversification is also a hedge against falling gambling spend per head. Data from the UK Gambling Commission shows that online gambling has grown sharply over the past decade, drawing customers away from physical venues. By making casinos about more than betting, operators are betting on social and cultural appeal.
The Numbers and Challenges
Non-gaming revenue is rising. In some central London venues, restaurants, bars, and shows now account for 25–30% of turnover, compared with less than 15% a decade ago. Hospitality spend per head has risen too, fuelled by the willingness of younger visitors to pay for cocktails, premium dining, and curated nightlife experiences.
The Hippodrome alone employs more than 760 staff across gaming, dining, theatre, and hospitality. Operators report that average spend per customer who dines or attends a show is double that of those who only play table games.
Casinos’ reinvention is not without hurdles. Licensing remains strict, with councils scrutinising late-night openings and live entertainment.
Critics argue that blending nightlife and gambling could normalise betting behaviour among younger people.
There are also economic risks.
Dining and entertainment are competitive markets in their own right, with restaurants and bars across London vying for the same clientele. Casinos entering this space must deliver quality or risk being dismissed as second-rate imitations.
What to Expect in 2026
From us, editors at BritishGambler, the trend seems clear: by 2026, London casinos will look more like hybrid venues than traditional gambling houses (many already do). Wo we would expect to see:
- More partnerships with chefs and mixologists – dining rooms that can rival standalone restaurants.
- Immersive technology – AR overlays, live-streamed roulette on big screens, and interactive menus.
- Nightlife branding – casinos marketed less as casinos and more as “destination venues” for a complete night out.
- Greater competition with West End clubs and restaurants, blurring the lines between them.
In short, the casino floor will remain, but it will increasingly share space with rooftop cocktails, Michelin-starred cuisine, and late-night performances. Gambling is no longer the sole attraction—it is one element of a larger, curated gambling.
But still, there are some online casinos that offer not bad entertainment as well, like live shows with nice dealers, for example.
