Casino London Guide: Top Casinos and Private Members’ Clubs

Looking for a casino in London? The big names are Aspers at Westfield Stratford, the Grosvenor Victoria on Edgware Road, the Hippodrome on Leicester Square and, a few doors from it, the Empire Casino. Les Ambassadeurs in Mayfair is the members-only exception. Most of the city’s casinos no longer ask you to join in advance: anyone with photo ID who is 18 or over can walk straight in. Private members’ clubs work differently, and a member has to sign you in.

Below we cover both. We also look at the old gentlemen’s clubs of St James’s, explain how guests usually get in, and cover dress and behaviour once you are inside.

The main casinos in London

The Hippodrome Casino, set in a former Victorian theatre next to Leicester Square, is the most lively. It has three floors of gaming, plus a cabaret theatre of its own, several bars and a restaurant, so it makes a full night out rather than simply a casino. Empire Casino, open since 2007, takes up a former ballroom on two floors at 5 to 6 Leicester Square.

Grosvenor Casino The Victoria, which regulars call the Vic, has stood on Edgware Road since 1965 and has just reopened after a large refurbishment. Its big poker room, hosting cash games and tournaments, is what it is famous for. In the east, Aspers at Westfield Stratford City ranks among the biggest casinos in the country and is convenient if you are close to the Olympic Park.

Mayfair’s private casinos have dwindled; Crockfords, the oldest, shut in 2023. Les Ambassadeurs Club has occupied 5 Hamilton Place, a short step from Park Lane, since 1950 and is still members-only, aimed firmly at serious players.

Getting into a London casino

The Gambling Act did away with the old requirement to join a casino and then wait 24 hours before you could play. At most London casinos you just turn up, show photo ID issued by a government (a passport is safest, or a photocard driving licence) and get registered on your first visit. You need to be 18 or older, and staff will ask you to prove it.

Members-only venues like Les Ambassadeurs work differently. You apply for membership, and non-members usually have to come as a member’s invited guest. Check the current process with the club itself, as it does change.

On dress, in Leicester Square smart casual is a sensible default; in Mayfair you will feel more comfortable in a jacket. Every venue sets its own policy, so check ahead rather than risk being refused at the door.

How London’s private members’ clubs work

Private members’ clubs in London centre less on gambling and more on eating, drinking and late nights in the company of people the committee has approved. The best known include:

• Annabel’s, founded in 1963, which occupies several floors of dining rooms and bars, with a garden, at 46 Berkeley Square, Mayfair.
• 5 Hertford Street, opened in 2012 in Shepherd Market, where members have their own basement nightclub.
• Mark’s Club, set up on Charles Street in 1972 to offer something different from the traditional clubs of St James’s.
• The Arts Club, Dover Street, which dates back to 1863 and has a small number of bedrooms; people staying in them may use the club while they are there.
• Home House, with its bars, restaurants and bedrooms, occupying a Georgian town house on Portman Square at number 20, in Marylebone.
• The Groucho Club, a long-standing favourite of writers, artists and media people, which has been at 45 Dean Street, Soho, since 1985.

Joining normally involves being proposed and seconded by current members and then approved by a committee, possibly after a spell on a waiting list. Costs vary widely and are subject to change, so check with each club. As a non-member, you usually cannot reserve a table or simply turn up. The normal route is an invitation from a member, who makes the booking, signs you in and answers for you during the visit. Some clubs cap how many guests one member may bring.

Planning an evening at the casino

Have dinner first. The Hippodrome’s own restaurant makes this simple, though eating nearby in Soho or Covent Garden and then strolling to Leicester Square is just as good. Weeknights are quieter than Saturdays, and finding a seat at the tables is easier. Swap cash for chips at the cash desk instead of walking the floor with a wallet of notes, and if a game is new to you, sit at a table with low stakes and ask the dealer to guide you as you go. Good dealers are patient with newcomers, particularly early on.

The gentlemen’s clubs of St James’s

In the traditional sense, gentlemen’s clubs in London are the long-established institutions of St James’s: Boodle’s, Brooks’s and White’s on St James’s Street, plus the Reform Club in Pall Mall, which today accepts women as members. Their origins lie in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and they still operate on nomination, lengthy waiting lists and house rules that alter slowly if ever.

You cannot visit without a member, and it is not done to ask. If you are invited, expect to wear a jacket and frequently a tie, check with your host about phones and newspapers in the public rooms, and take your cue from him. (The phrase is also applied to lap-dancing clubs, which are outside the scope of this guide.)

Etiquette: tables and clubs

• Put your phone away. Plenty of clubs limit calls and photos, and filming on a casino’s gaming floor is discouraged.
• Be discreet about fellow guests. Whatever happens in a members’ club is not repeated outside it; that is much of the appeal.
• At the tables, take your lead from the dealer, never touch chips belonging to another player, and keep your hands clear after bets close.
• As a guest, never charge anything to the member’s account unless invited to, and make sure you thank your host.
• Turn up sober enough to enjoy yourself. Door staff at good venues turn people away quietly and firmly.

Gambling responsibly

A night at the casino should be budgeted entertainment, not a scheme to make money. Decide beforehand how much you are comfortable losing, bring only that, and leave the cards back at your hotel. Set yourself a leaving time, take regular breaks and never chase losses. Should gambling stop being enjoyable, BeGambleAware provides free, confidential help and advice, and every casino licensed in the UK can help you put limits in place or self-exclude.

An evening with an escort

Casinos and members’ clubs are an excellent backdrop for a longer evening with an escort: dinner first, a drink at the bar, maybe a little time at the tables. If you are yourself a member’s guest, check whether you may bring someone, since house rules cover everyone you sign in. Our page on dinner dates and overnights describes how longer bookings run, and our etiquette guide covers the courtesies. Browse our London escorts and get in touch with the concierge whenever you are ready.

To round off the night, see our guides to Michelin-starred restaurants, London speakeasies and London after dark. Organising something for a group? Our stag do suggestions include a properly done casino night.

A word from the concierge: venues update their menus, rooms, opening hours and house rules faster than any guide can follow, so please check with the venue itself before setting out.