Moving into the 20th century, gambling in London is now synonymous with the Kray Twins. In the 1950’s, the Kray Twins owned part of Esmerelda’s Barn, a popular casino in the exclusive and rich area of Knightsbridge. While the twins didn’t have much say in the business, they managed to pocket and incredible amount of money from it. When Reggie went into prison, Ronnie became more and more involved with the workings, which caused great worry to the casinos manager, as he was effectively ruining the once fruitful business. The manager offered Ronnie £1000 a week just to stay away, but he declined and the manager soon packed his bags. Through the casino, the twins were opened up to a world of celebrities and Ronnie even dined at the House of Lords.
After gambling was legalized in the early 1960’s, the
Clermont Club was the first casino to be granted a license. When it started, the casino attracted the likes of Princess Margaret, Roger Moore and Peter Sellers and still remains one of London’s most popular clubs. So, there we have it, a very concise century skip through the history of every Londoner’s favorite pass time…Gambling!
Posted on 2/02/2015 by Λολα
