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LONDON HIPPODROME
thirty tables and sixty to eighty electronic positions,
but that balance is going to change depending on
what products are out at the time and the way that
casinos are moving.
CI: Is server-based gaming something that
you’ve considered in the renovation?
ST: I think it’s quite likely we’ll be server-based. I
also think it’s quite likely that the volume and type of
cabling will be a constantly moving feast and also the
location of the equipment. Hence we’ve built the
gaming floors on a raised platform. Everything’s
moving so fast, we have to have a flexible space to use.
CI: The way technology is moving in the
industry, casinos going forward will need
technology managers. Have you looked at how
your own management set-up will work?
ST: The management side is fascinating, and that’s,
I think, an underestimated opportunity going
forward. Consistent with the 1970s casinos being
relatively inward looking gaming-led casinos, they
didn’t need management that could promote the
CI: What is the estimated total investment? business outside because they weren’t allowed to;
ST: It will be around twenty million pounds. Fifteen they didn’t need management to run the technology
million will be straight on build, refurb and by the because there wasn’t anything material. As such, a lot
time we’re open we’ll be touching twenty million. It’s of the management has grown up within the industry
a big project, but it’s very exciting. and they’re very good at running the traditional
casino product, and are very protective of it, but they
CI: Why do it now, in the middle of global aren’t necessarily as wide open to the whole market
economic upheaval? as they will need to be going forward. One of the
ST: For us, it is the perfect timing. On one side was advantages we have, starting relatively fresh at this
the timing of our sale, with the micro issues of the time, is clearly we will be able to employ management
gaming industry and the Gambling act which, to my who are very good at running the traditional product
reading of it, meant that the Bingo side was going to but we’ll also be putting in management that are very
suffer and there was going to be a shift towards good at promoting the whole business into the wider
casinos. Also with the smoking ban it looked like the leisure market and, exactly as you say, running the
industry in general was going to rebase, so it was a electronic side of the product.
good time to sell from one and move into the other.
In terms of building now in the recession, it certainly CI: So all in all you’re feeling positive about life…
doesn’t hurt on the building costs side and there is a ST: Absolutely! I know there will be some
side effect that a lot of our competitors in the area challenges over the build, but it is such an exciting
are suffering because they’ve got huge debt situation. We have the opportunity to take an iconic
mountains and they are under-investing at the building in the heart of the busiest entertainment
moment or cutting back. So if any of the projections district in Europe, create a substantial world class
for the end of the recession come right, we should be casino with a dedicated cabaret area, bars, poker
building when building costs are down and opening rooms, entertainment suites and top class dining all
sometime around the end of the recession when our under one roof. 60 per cent of people in London
competitors will have been weakened by it. already know the building and we want to make it
nearer 100 per cent.
CI: Do you know what your gaming set-up will
be yet? Have you planned that far ahead?
ST: We have as far as we can. It is difficult to
predict exactly what the best configuration will be in
2 years, as the exciting thing at the moment is the
speed that the gaming is changing and the way the
interpretations of the games, particularly the
electronic versions, are changing. As such, we have
designed the space as a very flexible entertainment
and gaming space with, for example, all the gaming
areas on raised floors so we can change wiring round
extremely easily. We anticipate opening with twenty to
44 OCTOBER 2009
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