Planet Hollywood mogul plans £5m London casino
Entertainment entrepreneur Robert Earl has announced plans for a £5 million revamp for a casino site in central London which could feature live entertainment by 2005.
Earl, the man behind global restaurant chain Planet Hollywood, hopes to launch FIFTY in December together with London Clubs International, replacing the old venue owned by LCI at St James’s Street, near Piccadilly.
The overhaul aims to turn the gaming centre into multi-purpose nightspot with live entertainment planned for next year. The four-floor complex will feature a gaming room, private gambling facilities and two restaurants and a cocktail bar.
Said Earl: “All casinos in London right now are all very similar, beautiful spaces, the same customer base of middle-aged, overseas visitors rather than locals. But we plan to change that. Instead of going to San Lorenzo, The Ivy or Zuma, people will use their membership to come here, eat at the restaurant, use the lounge downstairs or go upstairs to gamble if they feel like it.”
Members of the £750-a-year casino and club will be able to gamble until 6am. The move comes after similar ventures by other companies were put forward for the Millennium Dome and Alexandra Palace following government plans to deregulate gaming laws, relaxing restrictions on entertainment to attract companies planning new Vegas-style casinos.Previously operators were prevented from using their premises for anything other than gambling. The gaming industry is now worth around £7.8 billion in the UK and it is thought the liberalisation of legislation will further boost this figure.
Earl, who drew Hollywood stars such as Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarznegger to the Planet Hollywood venture, also heads the consortium which bought the Aladdin Casino in Las Vegas for $354million, which, when renovations are finished in 2006, will be rebranded Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino.
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