London has enjoyed a long-standing love affair with gambling dating back to the heady days of King Henry VIII in the 16th century.
Its popularity grew with nobility grew massively during the 1600s, with royal groom Sir Thomas Neale acting as croupier to a succession of kings.
Charles II put Neale in charge of the live casino experience in the capital city in 1684, making him responsible for shutting down any venues that opened without approval.
As gambling became more widespread in London, the sector started to become more associated with shady practices and underhand dealings.
Gambling and drinking soon became joined at the hip, leading to a culture where many people were living dangerously close to the edge.
Things settled down somewhat during the 1800s, with a new wave of exclusive casinos helping to bring a more highbrow approach to proceedings.
The opening of Crockfords in 1828 is widely viewed as a landmark moment for gambling in London, and the casino remains an integral part of the scene today.
Opened by William Crockford with backing from the Duke of Wellington, the casino helped the founder become a ‘millionaire’ in the currency at that time.
Charles Dickens’ novel The Old Curiosity Shop further boosted the profile of gambling and it continued to grow in popularity across London.
By the time the 20th century came around, casino games were just one of several different forms of gambling that were prevalent in the capital.
A lack of regulation caused numerous headaches for organisations responsible for law enforcement, while crime and gambling became increasingly linked.
The notorious Kray Twins made plenty of money from their involvement in a casino in Knightsbridge, much of which was garnered from unlawful practices.
The introduction of the Betting and Gaming Act in the early 1960s was another pivotal moment for casinos, sparking the opening of a wave of new venues.
The first casino to be granted a license was the Clermont Club which attracted various celebrities through its doors including Peter Sellers and Roger Moore.
Owner John Aspinall sold the club in 1972 to Playboy Enterprises, which was subsequently forced to sell it when it lost its licence ten years later.
The club was famously part of a historic libel case in the 1970s, after satirical magazine Private Eye accused some members of sheltering Lord Lucan.
The British peer was accused of murdering his family nanny, Sandra Rivett. He subsequently disappeared and was never tracked down by the police.
Despite the mystery surrounding Lucan’s whereabouts, the club won a partial victory and reached a settlement with the magazine.
Numerous other casino venues also opened across the capital during the 1960s as London became the hub for regulated gambling in the United Kingdom.
While some of those have fallen by the wayside over the past few decades, London is still home to some of the finest casinos in the world.
They include The Hippodrome in Leicester Square, which boasts five different floors dedicated to gaming, a five-star restaurant and tons of other entertainment.
The Hippodrome boasts three different casinos, with the Grand Casino on the ground four arguably the pick of the bunch.
It boasts stunning 360-degree views of the magnificent auditorium including the original theatre’s Minstrel’s Gallery high above.
Lola’s Casino on the lower ground floor has echoes of the speakeasy era, while the Gods Casino on the fourth floor includes the only dice table in the centre of London.
Palm Beach Casino in Mayfair is another venue that has built a reputation for excellence, and its poker tables are legendary amongst fans of the game.
Aspers Casino, St Giles Casino, Horizons Casino and Empire Casino are other venues that have proved to be hugely popular with locals and visitors to the capital.
With the boom in online gambling helping to fuel interest in land-based venues, it seems that the London casino scene is well placed to flourish over the coming years.
Westminster City Council are aiming to build a new £100 million casino on the site of Huguenot House, which desperately needs to be redeveloped.
The plans for the plot also include a cinema and hotel, which would further boost the economy in this area of the city.
The ultimate aim is to drive more tourism in the West End, and it is hoped that work on the development will commence in 2025.
While London has a long way to go to catch Las Vegas or Atlantic City in the gambling stakes, the addition of this new venue would be hugely exciting for the capital.
