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Aspers Casino
News
Aspers
Casino looks forward to end of Games...
Though
it’s happening right on the doorstep of his company’s
flagship casino, Richard Noble is looking forward
to when the 2012 London Olympic Games finish.
The
chief operating officer of Aspers Group – a joint
venture between the Australian Securities Exchange-listed
Crown and the Aspinall family, which operates Aspers
Casino at Westfield Stratford City next to Olympic
Park – says weekly takings and average visitor
numbers are down about 20 per cent in the first week
of the Games.
When
Aspers at Westfield Stratford City, the country’s
largest casino, opened on December 1 last year, Noble
told The Australian Financial Review it was immediately
popular. “In our first three days we had 30,000
visitors which was about 100 per cent above our business
case. After that we were averaging 25,000-30,000 visitors
per week. But in the last few months we’ve seen
the three carparks here at the Westfield get cut down
to one and now it is none, so we have been adversely
affected.”
There
have been restrictions placed on visitor numbers to
Westfield Stratford by the London Olympic Games Organising
Committee (LOCOG). These include only Games ticket
holders being allowed access to Westfield between
8.30am and 5pm on Friday and Saturday.
Noble
says this cut down on the ability of regular Aspers
patrons to visit the casino. He said it also affecting
the numbers of people in the local area attracted
to Westfield during the Games, who could have potentially
visited the casino for the first time. LOCOG is also
likely to institute another similar “lock-out”
later this year due to fears about congestion at the
mall, which is between Olympic Park and public transport
links.
With
the Olympics not providing the boost in business once
hoped, Noble says Aspers will now concentrate its
marketing efforts on the post-Games period. “On
the 18th of September, after the Olympics and
then the Paralympics are over, we will be having a
huge relaunch.”
Noble
says the casino concentrates on a high volume of customers
who spend relatively little. It has a catchment area
of 4.1 million people.
“And
that is just in the east and the area around, north
to Luton and east to Southend,” he said.
“But
what’s been surprising and also delightful is
that we’ve managed to get a lot of visitors from
the west of London as well.”
A
change to British gaming laws in 2007 allowed for
the casino to be built without previous restrictions
that meant patrons had to become members. Aspers also
owns casinos in Newcastle, Swansea and Northampton
and is planning to open a new venue in Milton Keynes
in 2003.
Overall,
he says Aspers is pleased about how the Stratford
business has performed given it has already expanded
since its December 2011 opening. It now has 57 gaming
tables, the highest number in Britain, up from 38
when it opened. It has room to accommodate 80 tables.
There are also now 138 electronic gaming terminals,
up from 92. The site will soon feature a bespoke poker
room to go with the sports bar, VIP bar and terrace,
which has been hired out to corporate clients for
the Games.
But
Noble, who is otherwise enjoying the Games, can’t
wait until September. “Some of our patrons are
not able to get here at the moment but that will change
once all this is over.” (The Australian Financial
Review)
Profile
Damian
Aspinall
News
Newcastle
is the model for successful gaming venture, Peter
McCusker -
25th June 2009
(Credit:
The Journal)
The
boss of one of the country’s biggest casino
and leisure chains says its future national growth
will be driven from its North East base.
Aspers,
the gaming, entertainment and leisure venue in
the Gate centre in Newcastle, saw its revenues
increase by 50% in the past year as 500,000 people
passed through its doors.
Its
London-based founder Damian Aspinall yesterday
visited the venue he launched in the city three
years ago and spoke proudly of its achievements.
“People
were sceptical at first that Aspers would work,
but we have become the prime provincial gaming
brand in the UK. We have created a really strong
brand which we are immensely proud of,”
he said.
“I
had never been to Newcastle before we decided
to come here, but it is the perfect location.
There is no other city in the UK quite like it.
It’s a fun-loving city. It’s unique.”
The
fun-loving North Easterners have helped drive
the growth of the Aspers brand and it now has
venues in Swansea and Northampton, as well as
planning permission for a fourth on the “English
Riviera” at Bournemouth.
Aspers
was created by Mr Aspinall – the former
partner of one-time Byker Grove star Donna Air
and who is currently said to be dating supermodel
Elle
MacPherson – and James Packer, the son
of maverick Australian broadcaster Kerry Packer.
It has been positioned as a multi-entertainment
venue and as well as gaming it provides restaurants,
bars and live music.
While
Mr Aspinall runs his Aspinall Group from London,
including Aspers, the Aspinall casino in Mayfair,
his property empire and the two wildlife parks
left by his father, Aspers senior management are
all at the Gate.
In
April last year Aspers removed membership requirements
and last December it started opening round the
clock. Its 500,000 customer figure last year was
a rise of 40% on the previous year. On a busy
Saturday it can attract 3,000 people, with up
to 600 customers at it busiest point, with the
average spend being £25.
Mr
Aspinall said: “We have helped dispel the
myth about gaming venues. They are no longer viewed
as smoke-filled, seedy gambling dens.
“One-third
of our customers are women, compared to just 2%
in the UK’s other casinos. There are a lot
of fun things going on and many people who come
do not gamble. No one had done it before and no
one believed it could work.”
Mr
Aspinall outlined why he had chosen the North
East to try out the concept. “There were
three things we were looking for: a major city,
a vibrant city and the right location. Newcastle
fitted the bill perfectly and we found the right
location at the price.”
Aspers
group chief operations officer Richard Noble,
based at the Gate, said: “We have become
a destination venue and we provide a range of
first-class entertainment.” Aspers will
not open any more venues until it has visibility
out of the recession, but its senior management
team at Newcastle will be key players in its development.
Aspers
was the nickname of Damian’s father, the
late John Aspinall, who founded the UK’s
first gaming club in 1962.
One-third
of our customers are women, compared to just 2%
in the UK’s other casinos.
Profile
Aspinalls
Casino
Aspinalls
Casino - Passion, Standards, Finesse.
Aspinall's
is an elite, private gambling club located in
Mayfair of London, England. It was established
by John Aspinall first in the 1960s and has subsequently
changed its name several times along with its
location. Aspinall's is currently located at 27-28
Curzon Street.
History
Club
founder, John Aspinall (known as "Aspers"
to his friends) was a conservationist and breeder
of wild animals who funded his zoos, in large
part, from house winnings. Aspinall's is still
one of the most extravagant and elegant gambling
houses in the world. It is not a glitzy casino
in the vein of Las Vegas casinos. In its earlier
days, Aspinall's clientele comprised the traditional
aristocratic elite who gambled away their inheritances.
While this is still true to some extent, the gradual
decline of the English landed gentry has forced
Aspinall's to look elsewhere. The first notable
foreign member to be invited to the club was King
Fahd of Saudi Arabia. The king became a regular
patron of the club, then known as the Clermont.
Remarkably, Aspinall's evaded major public recognition
until the 1970s. The notorious Lord Lucan was
a close friend of John Aspinall. Lucan's consequent
disappearance catapulted the club into mainstream
consciousness. Aspinall commissioned a bust of
Lucan which remains displayed prominently.
Today
Aspinall's
is now run by John Aspinall's son. The current
base of clientele includes prominent politicians,
businessmen, and the ever-present minority of
wealthy aristocrats.
Aspers currently have casinos in Newcastle, Northampton
and Swansea. (Credit:
Wikipedia).
Some
things in life mark the difference between the
ordinary and extraordinary and raise the bar by
reaching new levels of quality, integrity and
excitement.
Aspinalls
Online Casino is proud of its solid heritage
with good reason. The glamorous Aspinalls brick-and-mortar
casino in Mayfair London was established by the
late John Aspinall for a select list of clientele
in 1962. Now in its fourth decade, it continues
to deliver a top tier gaming experience for some
of the greatest and most celebrated names in global
gaming.
John’s
legacy lives on. Today, his passion and dedication
to providing the highest standards of gaming are
taken to the next level by the Aspinalls Online
Casino team.
Aspinalls
is proud of an ongoing reputation for trust, fair
play, and the highest levels of personalized customer
service. Whether in the real or virtual world,
these principles are the foundation of the Aspinalls
name and heritage.
Aspinalls
Online Casino adheres to the same standards of
excellence that has made the London Club famous
worldwide. As a player with us, you receive fast,
reliable payouts. You’re also entitled to
frequent bonus incentives, promotional offers,
and 24 hour live customer service provided by
dedicated professionals. You’ll find it
easy to manage your account via our wide range
of deposit methods. You’re assured complete
privacy and discretion via our use of secure 128-bit
data encryption servers.
New & Improved FREE Software
World's Most Exciting Games
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