The latter is much more than just a retail facility though, as it features a super casino within it and this could help to make Leeds a visitor destination to rival other northern English cities like Manchester.
The Victoria Gate Casino finally opened its doors to the people of Leeds at the beginning of this year, following a lengthy wait, and is located within the centre of the same name in the Eastgate area of the city. It was not a cheap facility to construct, with the final building costs being £30 million. The official date for the grand opening was the 26 th of January and those choosing to visit on the first night will have encountered a mix of exciting table and slot machine games, fine dining and entertainment unlike anything that has been available in the city up until now. The Victoria Gate Casino is the third biggest such facility to be found in the whole of Britain, truly living up to the ‘super casino’ tag and easily the most sizeable outside of London. The total space occupied by the three-level gaming floor is 50,000 sq ft, which is the same as 18 tennis courts, but does the casino actually live up to the hype in terms of the games choice?
Well it is unlikely that anyone who visits it will be disappointed, as there are 24 different table games, 140 slot machines, a separate, private poker room and 75 terminals for electronic games on offer – if you are unsure which game to play you can read a review of online casinos such as Gaming Club review to get some ideas before you play. The table games include blackjack and roulette, while all of the slots have £20,000 top jackpots. However, beyond the actual gaming the Victoria Gate Casino also has plenty of other facilities designed to bring people through the doors.
There is a restaurant and two bars within the complex, alongside 3 al fresco terraces for people to eat, drink and socialise on when the weather is good. These are vitally important, with the owners expecting just half of all visitors to be attracted by the gaming, with other 50 percent visiting for the extra facilities. The Live Bar will offer live screened sporting events, while Curve is designed to cater for more upmarket tastes, complete with cask ales, craft beers and Moet & Chandon champagne.
There seems every chance that the launch of this impressive ‘super casino’ could lead to Leeds receiving a real economic boost.