Leeds casino dealt a good hand for first year

It is a phrase uttered by many visitors who step inside the city’s Super Casino for the first time but one which never fails to put a smile on the face of boss Patrick Noakes.

He spoke exclusively to City Buzz as the £30m Victoria Casino celebrates its first anniversary.

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Mr Noakes, the managing director of the roof-top venue in the Victoria Gate shopping centre said: “It has been a real ride over the last year. In some ways it feels like it has been the fastest year, in others it feels like five because we have done so much.”

Possibly a little controversial were plans to bring the UK’s third largest casino to Leeds, but the venue has settled into the night-time economy to become as much a leisure destination as it is to gamble.

The casino has found one of the biggest draws is sporting events, in particular pay per view boxing matches, given they are screened at all hours and the casino never closes.

This will be one of the main focuses for the casino throughout 2018 with packages being prepared for the Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker heavyweight clash at Easter.

He added: “Boxing has been responsible for some of our biggest nights and our biggest challenges. We had not anticipated how popular they would be and we have had to adapt how we deliver the offering and create a range of ways people can enjoy it.”

Mr Noakes added that the casino has been a game changer for the city as a whole too.

“There is a mis-conception that you have to be a big spender to come to a casino but we have a wide range of people for a wide-range of reasons.

“People come from all over the UK to visit Leeds for a weekend and are visiting us as part of their leisure spend.”