Ladbrokes Casino and Sports Bar Opens July 18th

LONDON -- As reported by Timesonline.uk.co and Ladbrokes.com: "Ladbrokes, Britain's biggest bookmaker, returns to the casino industry after a gap of more than five years when it opens the Ladbrokes
Artist's rendering of Ladbrokes casino floor.  Casino and Sports Bar at the London Paddington Hilton hotel tomorrow.

"The opening of the £5 million venture comes at a time of heightened speculation that Ladbrokes, which recently sold its Hilton International hotels arm for £3.3 billion, is actively seeking acquisitions in both the casino and betting arenas.

"Sources say that the group has been monitoring the proposed merger between Stanley Leisure and London Clubs International, possibly with a view to making a bid for LCI. Some analysts believe that Ladbrokes, which sold its casino arm to Gala Group in 2001, may wait until the merger is completed before launching a bid for the enlarged company

"The main entrance to the land-based casino will be situated at the corner of Praed Street and Eastbourne Terrace, ideally located for both local residents and visitors to the area. There is also an entrance directly from the hotel lobby (see the map below for more details).

"There will be a wide range of gaming tables including:

Five Roulette tables (£1 min bet - £500 max)
Four Blackjack tables (£5 min bet - £2,000 max)
Two 3 card poker tables (£10 min bet - £100 max)
One Punto Banco table (£10 min - £2,500 max)
Twenty slot machines (20p bet and max payout £4,000)
Eleven slot machines (20p bet and max payout £500)

"There will be 12 roulette terminals linked to a live wheel and 18 terminals linked to an automatic wheel (max and min as above).

"All card tables will be equipped with shuffling machines.

"The casino will open from 13.00 to 06.00 every day except saturday when opening hours will be 13.00 to 04.00.

"According to Ladbrokes, there will be a free membership available - just visit the application stand in the entrance foyer of the Hilton Hotel Paddington. Please apply in person with photo ID.

"The informal Sports Bar provides instant access to Live Sport plus all the latest sports news... Football, Baseball, Horse Racing, Tennis, Rugby, Greyhounds, Golf, Boxing, Ice Hockey & Cricket.

"The Sports Bar slot machines (13 of them) open at 13.00, and roulette terminals (5) linked to a live wheel, open at 14.00.

"There's a vibrant and contemporary restaurant for a refined dining experience plus a variety of casino games including twelve gaming tables, slot machines, and electronic roulette.