Opera House Casino, Scarborough

Opera House Casino is a privately owned casino and entertainment venue in the seaside town of Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. It occupies a historic building whose theatrical lineage reaches back to 1877, when the site was first used by a wooden circus building. Over the decades the building was rebuilt and renamed several times — as a music hall, The New Hippodrome, and finally The Royal Opera House — before closing as a theatre in 1995. The present owners purchased the property in 2002 and developed it into the casino that opened in October 2005. The casino describes itself as North Yorkshire's premier entertainment venue and as a European-style casino. It offers classic table games including American Roulette, Blackjack and 3 Card Poker, alongside electronic roulette terminals, jackpot machines and Texas Hold'em poker tournaments. The venue is complemented by three bars and a Casino Lounge, and it markets itself as a destination for a full night out rather than gaming alone. Beyond gaming, the casino is a hospitality and events venue. Its Upper Circle space, which overlooks the gaming floor, can accommodate up to 140 guests and is available for private parties, corporate events, Christmas parties, birthdays and hen or stag dos, with exclusive use of the Upper Circle Bar. The casino is open seven days a week, from 10am to 4am Sunday to Thursday and 10am to 6am Friday and Saturday. The development was reported as a £7 million project funded by the Shaw family, headed by Nikolas Shaw, and was described as the biggest entertainment investment in Scarborough for over thirty years. It was also reported as the first privately funded casino in the UK after the gambling laws were amended by the Gambling Act 2005. The casino is approximately 23,000 square feet in size and reportedly signed up more than 5,000 members before opening, a British record at the time.

The site of the Opera House Casino has a theatrical history that predates the casino by well over a century. According to the casino's own account, the site was first occupied theatrically by a wooden circus building dating back to 1877. That venture proved successful and was quickly replaced by a more permanent building designed by the local architect John Petch. When the popularity of the circus declined in Edwardian times, another local architect, Frank Tugwell, redesigned the building as a music hall and it was renamed The New Hippodrome. After numerous alterations and name changes over the years, it was finally called The Royal Opera House shortly before the start of World War I. The building was listed Grade II in 1972 and continued to host performances, but by the end of the summer in 1995 the theatre closed for the last time. The present owners purchased the property in 2002, embarking on what the casino describes as their dream venture. The resulting development took three years to build and was expected to employ about 110 people when it opened in October 2005. It was reported as a £7 million development funded by the Shaw family, headed by Nikolas Shaw, and was described as the biggest entertainment investment in Scarborough for over thirty years. It was also reported as the first privately funded casino in the UK since the gambling laws were amended by the Gambling Act 2005. The casino is some 23,000 square feet (2,100 m2) in size. On opening it was reported to have eleven gaming tables, twenty electronic gambling terminals and the same number of slot machines, and a number of bars. It holds Texas Hold'em poker tournaments in one of its bars where up to 55 players can be seated. The casino reportedly broke British records by signing up over 5,000 members before it had even opened. In the years since opening, the casino has continued to operate as a combined gaming and entertainment venue. Its official website presents it as North Yorkshire's premier entertainment venue, privately owned and managed, offering favourite casino games such as American Roulette, Blackjack and 3 Card Poker along with electronic roulette terminals, £10,000 jackpot machines and Texas Hold'em poker tournaments. The venue also promotes its Casino Lounge and three bars, and hires out its Upper Circle space for private parties and corporate events for up to 140 guests. It is open seven days a week, from 10am to 4am Sunday to Thursday and 10am to 6am Friday and Saturday.

• 2005

  The Opera House Casino opened in October after three years of construction, a reported £7 million development.

• 2002

  The present owners purchased the property.

• 1995

  The theatre closed for the last time at the end of the summer.

• 1972

  The building was listed Grade II.

• 1877

  A wooden circus building first occupied the site theatrically.

• The wooden circus was replaced by a more permanent building designed by local architect John Petch.

• In Edwardian times, architect Frank Tugwell redesigned the building as a music hall, renamed The New Hippodrome.

• The building was renamed The Royal Opera House shortly before World War I.

North Yorkshire's premier entertainment venue; a European-style casino combining gaming, bars and private event hospitality in a historic Grade II listed building.

• American Roulette

• Blackjack

• 3 Card Poker

• Electronic Roulette Terminals

• £10,000 Jackpot Machines

• Texas Hold'em Poker Tournaments

• Casino Lounge

• Three bars

• Upper Circle private events space

1. 1Homeoperahousecasino.co.uk
2. 2Aboutoperahousecasino.co.uk
3. 3Galleryoperahousecasino.co.uk
4. 4Private Functionsoperahousecasino.co.uk
5. 5Opera House Casino, Scarboroughwikidata.org
6. 6Opera House Casino, Scarboroughen.wikipedia.org