Sport The Business of Sport
Ricoh bets on winning partnership with casino
The Rank Group, which owns the largest casino brand in the UK, Grosvenor Casinos, has signed a new 10-year lease to remain at Ricoh Arena, Coventry. Grosvenor Casinos, which
operates 52 casinos, has been based at Ricoh Arena since 2009 when it took over the casino site and invested £1.6 million in the venue. The company has now put pen to paper on a new decade- long deal. The casino is the biggest in the
city and has a range of gambling activities, including blackjack, roulette and poker, as well as a food and drink offering a variety of brands, including ‘Absurd Bird’, ‘Field & Fin’, ‘Barrel & Stone’ and ‘The Real Grill’. The venue also hosts events such
as ‘Goliath’, the biggest annual live poker tournament in the world which runs for ten days at the end of July each year. The casino attracted 250,000
people through its doors last year, many coming from different parts of the country to attend specific events, as well as customers on-site for other Ricoh activities. The casino’s general manager,
Paul Davies, said: “We think this venue is the ideal home for our brand. “Grosvenor Casino Coventry is a
unique venue right in the heart of the country offering gaming, sports, live events and an excellent food and drink experience – we have an open door policy so anyone over the age of 18 can come along for a drink, a meal, to watch the match or try their hand
Vélo Birmingham gets new date
Organisers of the Vélo Birmingham & Midlands 2020 cycle race have moved the date of the closed-road 100-mile cycling event. The date of the event will now
take place on Sunday, 21 June, with entries for the race opening on 3 October. Whilst there is no guarantee
organisers will be successful in their bid to host a professional road race in 2020, they have taken the decision to move the date in order to align with the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) calendar. Richard Relton, chief executive
Betting certainty: Stuart Cain and Paul Davies
at one of the many games we have on offer.” Stuart Cain, chief executive
(venue) of Wasps Group, said: “This is very good news. It shows just how well the casino continues to trade and is a major vote of confidence in the future strategy of Ricoh Arena and the way that we’re conducting our business.
“The casino gives our venue real
diversity in terms of entertainment as well as additional bars and restaurants. Whilst it attracts a loyal audience due to the strength of the Grosvenor name, it also allows us to offer something different to people attending sports fixtures, concert-goers and conference and exhibition delegates.”
officer of the Vélo Series, said: “As event organisers, it has always been our ambition to build Vélo Birmingham & Midlands into a much broader ‘festival of cycling’ that engages enthusiasts of all ages and experience levels. “As part of this we have a strong
desire to host a high profile professional road race during the Vélo Birmingham & Midlands weekend. “This is a fantastic opportunity
for Vélo Birmingham & Midlands to fulfil its true potential as one of Europe’s biggest and most inclusive cycling events as we build towards the 2022 Commonwealth Games.”
Team of ’94 takes its place among the stars
Warwickshire County Cricket Club’s legendary treble-winning team of 1994 has been honoured with a place on Birmingham’s Broad Street ‘Walk of Stars’. The team, which made history 25 years ago by winning the County Championship, the Sunday League and the B&H Cup, was presented with a special commemorative plaque at Edgbaston, before a stone is installed on Broad Street following redevelopment work in the area. Jasper Carrot, chairman of Westside BID’s Broad Street Walk of Stars,
said: “The achievements of the Warwickshire’s treble-winners in 1994 are rightly recognised as one of the greatest in the history of county cricket. However, it is also one of the greatest sporting achievements that Birmingham and the West Midlands has known.
“It was a very memorable time for many of us and it’s right, in the year
that marks the 25th anniversary, that we recognise the team on the ‘Walk of Stars’.” The presentation was made by Jasper Carrot and the lord mayor of Birmingham, Mohammed Azim, at the ‘Years of the Bears’ gala dinner for Warwickshire players past and present at Edgbaston, which also recognises 125 years as a First Class county. The event was hosted by BBC Sport broadcaster and Chamber member Pat Murphy, author of ‘The Greatest Season’ – a book about the treble-winning exploits. Neil Snowball, chief executive of Warwickshire CCC, said: It’s fantastic that
the celebrations are being celebrated more widely and that the Warwickshire class of 1994 is to be recognised on the Broad Street Walk of Stars.”
October 2019 CHAMBERLINK 85
Sector Focus
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