THE RELAUNCH OF A LONDON CLASSIC
The Sportsman Casino is located nearby the famous Marble Arch monument 9. In this corner of the city, traditional London mixes with the latest fashionable trends. It is also close to Mayfair, where most of the city’s Casinos are located, allowing the Sportsman to consider itself one of London’s West End Casino.Young people shopping for the latest fashions on Oxford Street and tourists visiting Marble Arch and Hyde Park are sure to see the Sportsman, especially in the evening and at night, when the facade is lit up in blue, purple and yellow lights all along the street.
Passing through the revolving doors of the main entrance, visitors come face-to-face with reception. The ground floor also houses the gaming area, with 21 tables, electronic roulette and slots.
The Club is decorated in a contemporary style, with a wide range of gambling and leisure facilities. The mezzanine houses the restaurant and the sports lounge, where soft poker tournaments are held.
The sports lounge is also the perfect venue to watch live sporting events on the giant screen, the ideal place to discuss the English win over Australia in the Ashes, Johnny Wilkinson’s return or the future of Sven Goran Eriksson.
THE YOUNGEST CASINO IN LONDON
The challenge facing Curtis, assistant manager Colin Lane and their team is to make the new Club a meeting place for young sports fans. “We want to get back to our roots … as a place where fashion and sport can mix. Somehow, we feel that our market is young people who play poker and other games on-line”, says Mr Curtis. Along with Roulette, the most popular game, craps are another great
attraction. The Sportsman is one of only three London Casinos with a craps table. Electronic Roulette is also big.
The Sportsman is also set to increase the number of slots from 10 to 20, thanks to the liberalization of Casino games brought in last October. Members, though mostly UK-based, boast a wide range of nationalities. Last summer the Club had average daily visitors of 400, proving that a strategic location is one of the mainstays of the Club’s success and of increasing member numbers. Traditional clients from the Middle East are still very important, particularly in the summer.
A certain group of big players tend to visit the same London Casinos, some laying down authentic fortunes in a sitting. This gives special relevance to the work of Tony Collings, Customer Relations Executive, whose job is to keep them happy and coming back. The soft poker room is in the mezzanine.
