The well-established UK casino operator Aspers has been chosen to run the brand new gambling facility built at the $450 million Royal Pier Waterfront in Southampton; the casino is expected to open its doors to customers in 2021. Other companies that placed their bids for the property include Grosvenor, GGV and Kymeira.
The government has granted the casino a licence to place up to 150 reel machines and 30 poker and blackjack tables. The Southampton property is the eighth as well as the last one to receive a large casino license in the Kingdom, excluding Northern Ireland. This type of a licence is given only to facilities that have a minimum customer area of 1,000 sq m and not more than 150 slots with maximum jackpot of £4,000.
According to the chairman of Southampton City Council’s licensing committee, Matt Tucker, this had been the largest and most complex competition for getting this type of a licence. As a result, he explained, the authority was able to “negotiate the best deal for the city.” Tucker also highlighted that the property would play a big part in “making redevelopment happen.”
The brand new casino is expected to create at least 180 jobs; moreover, the council would receive £100,000 on the granting of the licence, plus £150,000 on the day of opening. Once the facility is up and running, the authority would get a minimum of 2% of the gross gaming revenue, whereas Aspers would have to make annual payments of £50,000 towards problem gambling initiatives.
It was revealed that the new development would include restaurants, approximately 50 shops, a 250-bed hotel and a total of 730 apartments. To make way for the construction process, the city’s ferry terminals are going to be moved from the Town Quay to the Eastern Docks.