The CLERMONT CLUB?

While the UK suffers along with most of the world the effects of COVID-19 and the prospect of an uncertain future on when or if normality will resume, an interesting item resurfaced that the iGaming Post wanted to cover and so her sister publication decided to publish this fascinating article.

Prior to the lockdown in the UK it was announced that the renowned Clermont Club in Mayfair was to open under new ownership. The Clermont Club has a rich and diverse history, it was first built in 1740 by the then famed architect William Kent, it is best known for its theatrical staircase and large Grand Saloon, “one of the finest rooms of its scale and period in London architects say.
However the Clermont Club has a long history involved in gambling, it started back in 1962 when legendary zoo owner and contact to the rich and famous John Aspinall opened the venue to casino gambling. Aspinall fought hard in the late 1950’s following charges set against him for running illegal gambling. Aspinall eventually won the case and started the ball rolling for him to legally open The Clermont Club as a gambling venue.

Indeed The Clermont Club was one of the very first locations to offer casino gambling and wasn’t long before its heritage attracted famous actors like Peter Seller, writers such as James Bond founder Ian Fleming, the infamous Lord Lucan, nobility such as Lord Derby, Lord Boothby, and the Duke of Devonshire, along with businessmen James Goldsmith and Kerry Packer.

During the sixties times were good for The Clermont and became the in-place for the rich and famous. However then the scandal came with Lord Lucan, in 1976 satirical magazine Private Eye alleged that members of the Clermont, including Goldsmith, had conspired to shelter Lord Lucan after Lucan was suspected of murdering his family nanny, Sandra Rivett. Goldsmith won a partial victory and eventually reached a settlement with the magazine but by then the club had already been sold by Aspinall to Playboy Enterprises.

However the new owners only lasted ten years when in 1982 Playboy lost all its licenses in the UK to operate casinos. Since then many investors have tried and ultimately failed in resurrecting the Clermont club. Those include the Rank Group who operates Grosvenor Casinos; they then sold it on to Malaysian businessman Quek Leng Chan for £31 million in 2006.

The new owner invested millions over the years but in 2018 after continued losses Quek Leng Chan had enough and closed the Clermont down. Then enter Mayfair Casinos Ltd who bought the property for £23 million. This amazing location in the heart of Mayfair that many residential properties sell for double or triple that price once again gets passed on for in London prices is peanuts.
Early in 2020 the new owners announced that they were to re-open the Clermont Club again as a casino and succeed where all but Aspinall has failed. It is already known that many high end VIP casinos in the capital are struggling, competition from not just an overcrowded market in London but attractions for VIPs to Las Vegas, Macau and closer to home Monaco adding that to a shrinking VIP market already begs the question why?

Not a great deal is known about the owners of Mayfair Casinos Ltd, in 2018 they bought another London venue Napoleons Casino, which is located in the heart of London’s Leicester Square from A&S Leisure Group which is operated by Dave Allen.

Napoleons has some big competitors around it also, most notably The Hippodrome Casino and the Empire in Leicester Square. At the time of the purchase George Polhill, Managing Director of Mayfair Casino Limited said of the acquisition, “It is an exciting time in our business and we are thrilled to join the dynamic London casino market.” It is believed that Polhill came from Genting Casinos UK and was there Director of Marketing.