Brexit has been reversed for eight UK casino companies after the European Casino Association (ECA) has confirmed that the country and casino operators originating from are being admitted back as members.
The announcement was made at the end of September, during the ECA General Assembly held at Casino Baden in Austria. At the time, the Association confirmed that eight British casino operators have been approved to rejoin the organisation, including Les Ambassadeurs, Aspers Group, Genting Casinos UK, Crown Aspinas, Hippodrome Casino, Rank Group, Metropolitan Gaming, and others.
The chairman of the ECA – Per Jaldung – welcomed the chance to bring back the aforementioned UK casino operators after they were forced to exit the organisation following Brexit back in 2020. Mr Jaldung shared that it was exciting to have the UK-originating members rejoin the organisation and take part in the strengthening of the retail gaming sector in Europe. He noted that the brick-and-mortar gaming industry of the UK is a very well-established one, so the European Casino Association is proud that its efforts resulted in the successful entry of the UK as a full member of the organisation.
The chair of the European Casino Association assured that all British casino companies have much to offer when it comes to the broader network of casino operators and establishments across Europe.
Hippodrome Casino’s CEO Spearheaded the British Casino Operators’ ECA Admittance
All eight UK casinos are returning as ECA members thanks to the strong advocacy of Simon Thomas, the chief executive officer of the Hippodrome Casino, who worked closely with the organisation’s board in order to make it possible for the eight companies to return to the Association. Mr Thomas realises that the UK gambling industry has a great long-term potential as part of the brick-and-mortar casino operators in Europe and assured that UK casinos stand to benefit through their partnership with the European Casino Asociation as they will be able to take advantage of the knowledge base that is shared across the European retail casino sector through the organisation.
The land-based casino market in the UK is expected to face serious challenges in the future, as the sector is likely to come under stricter regulatory crackdown under the Government’s review of the Gambling Act 2005, which has already been delayed numerous times but is most likely to be announced in the near future.
As Casino Guardian previously reported, the retail gambling and casino sector in the UK was seriously affected by both Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic. Still, the lengthy experience of UK operators to run brick-and-mortar casinos has proven enough to help them deal with the crisis, with local casinos even remaining fairly profitable. They have been able to deal with the negative impact well enough to give a priceless lesson to other casino companies across Europe on how to be resilient.
- Author
Olivia Cole
