The Famous London casino The Ritz Club – which opened in 1998 – and hosted celebrities including Al Pacino, Johnny Depp and Bill Clinton will not reopen after lockdown, leaving members ‘devastated’.
The famous gambling establishment had temporarily suspended casino operations on March 19, just before the UK entered lockdown.
The Club is part of the world famous Ritz Hotel, which Sir Frederick and Sir David Barclay sold in March, 카지노사이트 with their associate and former Qatari PM Sheikh Hamad Bin-Jaber al-Thani understood to have been in the final bidding stages.
The Ritz Club casino (pictured) will close its doors permanently, it has been announced today
Pictured: Former Ritz owners Sir David Barclay (L) and his twin brother Sir Frederick posing after receiving their knighthoods from the Queen at Buckingham Palace
Today an email sent by the club to its prestigious members yesterday said: ‘Regrettably, we now write to inform you that The Ritz Club is permanently closed and will not be re-opening.’
One disappointed club member reflected on the news, and said: ‘As members, we are devastated to hear of the closure of The Ritz Club London.
‘There is no other casino in the UK that is as prestigious and respected as The Ritz and we don’t have anywhere else for us to take our gambling now.
Left, Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra leave the casino and, right, actor Sophie Turner a the club
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‘We got the email yesterday to say it has closed but I have since heard rumours that the casino has gone into administration.
‘The club has several billionaire clients who spend their time and money there often, the casino is always full of business tycoons who like to gamble.
‘I myself have been a member of The Ritz Club London for a few years and 메리트카지노주소 have gambled tens of thousands in the casino.
It’s a shock and a real shame to hear it has closed – it will be missed.’
The Ritz Club (pictured) is closing much to the devastation of the casino’s members
The venue was brought under the ownership of the Ritz Hotel owners in 1988.
But the space itself has been operating since the early 1900s.
During World War II it was known as the nightclub La Popote and the interior simulated a combat dugout with sandbags strewn about the venue.
After it became The Ritz Club, the Queen Mother annually presented the Waterford Crystal Trophy to the winners of The Ritz Club Trophy Stakes at Ascot.
Dame Shirley Bassey chose the venue to launch her record The Performance in 2009 – her first album in 20 years.
Pictured: The Ritz Club in Mayfair, central London
In January this year, the billionaire then-owners of The Ritz, Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay, injected £8million into its loss-making casino as they sought a buyer for one of the world’s most famous hotels.
The Barclay were reportedly assessing offers from a number of Middle Eastern investors who could pay up to £800million – £6.1million per bedroom – for the five-star hotel in London’s West End.
Company documents revealed that the 84-year-old brothers ploughed £8million into the Ritz Club, the gambling salon based in the hotel’s former ballroom, after firing the starting gun on the sale process.
The casino has not made a profit since 2016 due in part to increased regulation and a drop in the number of wealthy gamblers from the Far East.
The investment was made to cover trading losses after the Ritz Club posted an £8.9million pre-tax loss for the year to December 31, 2018.
The previous year, when the casino lost £11.3million, the Barclays invested £10million.
The Barclays, who are worth a combined £8billion, also own the Telegraph newspapers.
The Ritz Club London has been approached for a comment.
