Best Casino in London Award

For casino players, London is a real playground.

There are so many options to choose from, with more than 20 venues operating across the city and each one having something a little bit different to offer. From vast gaming floors to private members clubs and specialist poker rooms, London has got it all. That’s why it is so difficult to decide which casino is the best.

In the end, I had to decide which casino would offer the most entertainment value to the most people, but I have also listed a few casinos that are equally worthy of praise even though they didn’t win the award.

The Hippodrome Casino: Overall Winner

Part of the reason The Hippodrome is such a successful casino is that it feels like a real London attraction, not just a room full of casino games.

It’s slap bang in the middle of Leicester Square and is free to enter with no membership required, so it attracts a good mix of locals and tourists alike, but it’s also accessible for people with regular incomes as well as high rollers. On the right night, you can see some pretty exciting stuff going on in The Hippodrome.

The venue itself is incredibly impressive. It opened as a huge theatre in 1900, and lots of original features are still visible, giving it a grand feel as well as a sense of sophisitication. The main casino is in what used to be the auditorium, with balconies most of the way around give great views of the floor, as well as containing smaller machines. It’s a memorable casino and then some.

Across four floors you will find roulette, blackjack, baccarat, three card poker, slots, video poker, and other niche games. The casino also has a dedicated PokerStars Live room with 17 tables, and it hosts cash games, tournaments, and even poker festivals.

Then there are all of the surrounding elements. Heliot Steak House is situated overlooking the main casino floor, offering mouth watering food in a unique location. Then there is Chop Chop offering Chinese food in a more informal setting, and paying homage to London’s China Town which is right behind the casino.

Numerous bars and lounges around the casino, including a rooftop area spread across several terraces, make it easy to grab a drink and relax wherever you find yourself in the building, and there is even Paddy’s Sportsbook showing live sports and taking wagers.

The Hippodrome is still connected to its roots too, with a theatre running in the building, famous for showing the Magic Mike stage show since 2018.

All of this variety means the London Hippodrome can be different things to different people. Equally, you could spend an entire evening there starting with dinner and a show, then moving into the casino, stopping for a drink, watching some late night sports, then back to the casino before taxis home. The only real drawback is that it understandably gets quite busy.

But no other London casino offers the same combination of an exceptional building and location, extensive gaming options plus betting, dining options, and additional entertainment under one roof.

The Empire Casino: Lively and Informal

The Empire is only a few doors down from The Hippodrome, but where The Hippodrome makes a feature of its theatrical history, The Empire goes for a more contemporary approach.

Both casinos are open 24 hours, both allow customers to enter and play without membership or an entry fee, but the experience inside them is noticeably different.

It always feels very energetic and fun inside The Empire. It has more of a party atmosphere, and the central bar on the main floor is great for cocktails and chatting to other players, or just a bit of game observation from a distance. I would say it’s quite an informal casino considering where it is, and works especially well as part of an un-planned late night out.

The main gaming area is open and always busy, with roulette, blackjack, punto banco, three card poker, baccarat, slots, video poker and other electronic games, and it’s easy to move from one game to another.

Then there is the King’s Sports bar. This is a proper American sports bar experience, with 2 huge wall mounted screens and 14 standard size screens pointing in every other direction. They show all kinds of sports in here, and have recently included sports betting as an option alongside.

The casino has its own poker room too, plus the private Dragon Lounge for a more secluded, higher stakes environment, although not just anyone is allowed in there. These rooms have their own dedicated bars.

Speaking of bars, there is also the Icon Balcony Bar which overlooks Leicester Square. A beautiful place to enjoy a tipple before heading to the 7th Cat Chinese Kitchen, perhaps, for some food? Standard pub grub like burgers, fries, and sandwiches are also available elsewhere in the casino.

The Victoria Casino: Best for Poker

Everyone calls this place, “The Vic”. It’s on Edgware Road, and although it was taken over by Grosvenor, they run it as a niche venue, not just another clone of all their others. They gave it a £15 million makeover too – so it’s nice in there!

This is not the very best place to go for an elaborate casino night out – although their wider casino is a good one – but it is a real destination for poker players. It’s one of the longest running poker rooms in the country, having been in operation since the 1960s.

Cash games and tournaments run seven days a week, and The Vic regularly stages major poker events on top of their everyday schedule. If you consider yourself to be a poker player first and foremost, you will find plenty of other likeminded individuals at The Victoria.

The poker room is quite something, with 24 state of the art tables, enhanced comfort and upgraded seating, specialist lighting, multiple screens to show countdown clocks etc., plus a VIP area for high roller games.

The main casino floor is open 24 hours and offers regular casino games without venturing into anything niche, and the restaurant and open air terrace bar are both beautiful places to relax and unwind.

One other thing worth knowing about, is the Victoria Casino has a car park for customers. A real rarity in London!

Les Ambassadeurs: Exclusive Private members Casino

Les Ambassadeurs belongs in a different category to the other casinos on this list.

It is situated in a historic Georgian property on Hamilton Place, Mayfair, and as the location may suggest, it is a private members club aimed at what they call “premium players”.

Members and their guests can enjoy impeccable service, fine dining, the very best quality wines and spirits, and of course, privacy and exclusivity.

It’s not huge, but it doesn’t need to be, because not just anyone can walk in and put their money down. The main gaming floor contains 16 tables such as American roulette, baccarat, blackjack, and three-card poker. There is also an outdoor gaming area and a few private gaming rooms.

This place has long been associated with the aristocracy, and many international VIPs like to visit when they are in London. Obviously, this is a casino with a dress code, and high stakes go without saying.

I couldn’t call Les Ambassadeurs the best casino in London because most people will never set foot in it, but I couldn’t create a list like this without mentioning it either.

Park Lane Club: Accessible Luxury

For anyone wanting the Les Ambassadeurs experience without having the budget for it, Park lane Club could be your answer.

It’s the perfect middle ground between London’s largest public casinos and the capital’s smaller, private gaming clubs.

The casino is situated inside the London Hilton on Park Lane, so it is still a Mayfair casino, but entry is free and visitors do not need to be members. The dress code is similarly surprising informal: smart casual with jeans and trainers allowed. Park Lane Club is actually owned by Metropolitan Casinos, who also own The Empire, mentioned earlier.

It’s still a more refined experience than a central London casino, simply because of its location and the people that tend to frequent the area.

Open from 2pm until 6am, Park Lane Club works brilliantly as a place to start late, perhaps with dinner at Azurah, before spending the rest of the evening at the tables and enjoying the wide range of drinks available from the bar. Equally, you can get some early afternoon action in before finishing in the restaurant and heading home at a sensible time.

The gaming floor is smaller than the Leicester Square venues, but it has a similar range of games, and remember, this place is offering a more upmarket experience. The gaming terrace deserves a mention too, boasting views across Hyde Park.