Bally’s to Open First UK Retail Casino in Newcastle this Saturday

Bally’s Corporation is to officially open its first UK land-based casino in Newcastle this Saturday, March 14, following its acquisition of the property from Aspers.

Bally’s Casino Newcastle will be based at The Gate, a retail and leisure complex, marking Bally’s entry to the UK retail market. Following the acquisition of the casino in the third quarter of 2024, Bally’s stated its intention to significantly invest in the casino’s interior design and modern amenities, and a refurbishment of the venue began last summer.

Last October, Bally’s International Interactive business was sold to Intralot for €2.7 billion (£2.33 billion), in a deal which allowed Bally’s to become the majority shareholder of Intralot with a 58% stake. The deal included Bally’s UK and Spanish interactive businesses, as well as Bally’s Casino Newcastle.

What’s in the new casino?

The casino will offer a range of new features, including slots, live gaming tables, 38 electronic roulette terminals and a dedicated poker room. There will also be 44 screens showing live sport, with dedicated sports viewing areas. An American diner-style menu will be served, and live entertainment will be offered every weekend.

At Saturday’s launch night, customers will be offered a complimentary drinks’ reception, live music, learn-to-play table sessions and interactive cocktail-making experiences, and there will also be a grand prize draw.

Bally’s will offer more promotions and events in the weeks following the launch, including daily competitions, live sport activations and grand prize promotions, such as a Grab a Grand giveaway and an evening with former Newcastle United football player Shay Given.

David Tait, Bally’s Casino Newcastle General Manager, said:

“We’re incredibly proud to be bringing the Bally’s brand to Newcastle and re-launching our first UK flagship venue in such a vibrant city. Having overseen this amazing refurb, I can genuinely say it is phenomenal.”

History of the casino

The casino was opened in 2005 by David Aspinall, who was a Director for Aspers at the time and is the son of famous casino and zoo owner John Aspinall. The purchase price of the casino’s sale to Bally’s was not disclosed.

Aspers has sold off parts of its retail casino estate in recent times. In the same month the sale of the Newcastle casino was announced, Aspers also confirmed it was selling its casino in Stratford, London to Genting UK.

This was followed by the sale of its casino in Milton Keynes, the Casino MK, to Merkur Casino UK, which was confirmed last August after the casino closed last April.

Further UK expansion

This is the latest phase of Bally’s expansion into the UK, after launching its online casino and sports betting operation in the UK under the name of Bally Bet in 2023. Bally’s launched in the UK via its Gamesys brand, with Bally Bet replacing Gamesys’ existing Megaways Casino, which completed its decommission in September of that year.

Followers of the English Premier League in football may recognise the Bally’s brand, as it is a front-of-shirt sponsor of Nottingham Forest. However, this sponsorship will conclude at the end of this season, ahead of a self-imposed ban on gambling sponsorship on the front of teams’ shirts, which will begin at the start of the 2026-27 season.

With regards to retail, Bally’s is a name which is primarily associated with casinos in the US, having launched its first casino, Bally’s Park Place, in Atlantic City, New Jersey in 1979. Bally’s also operates igaming sites across a number of US states.