A GLITZY new £6million casino has opened in the heart of Southend, marking the final piece of the jigsaw for the renovated Park Inn Palace Hotel.

The Grosvenor Casino attracted hundreds of people to its opening and bosses are expecting it to become busier and busier.

The new casino, which created more than 100 jobs, complements the Grade II listed Park Inn Palace Hotel, which has undergone a huge renovation programme in recent years.

The new casino – the third in Southend – offers a sports lounge, which is themed with pictures of well-known Essex athletes, games tables, slot machines, electronic roulette, a poker room, with a hall of fame for the most successful players, and a high stakes Gold Room.

The casino also specialises in learn-to-play tables where customers can be walked step-by-step through the games.

Amy Culora, head of PR, said: “We wanted to start as we mean to go on.

“We want people to enjoy it. Only a small per cent of people have ever been in a casino and everyone has their views on what it is like, but we view it as an entertainment venue.

“We have a semi-open door policy, so for the restaurant, bar and sports lounge people can just walk in. For gaming, we ask people to register, to be a responsible operator.

“Southend is our trial of going semi-open door.”

The 27,000 sq foot casino occupies the 109-year-old hotel building’s two lower floors, with a separate entrance in Church Road, opposite the Royals.

Traders have welcomed the investment into the seafront and it is hoped Grosvenor’s 20-year lease will attract other businesses to the remaining 25,000sq ft of retail and leisure space in the Palace complex.

 

Our reporter Megan French gives it a go..

 

THE golden rule is you never touch the cards.

I can gloat that it was not me that made that apparent faux pas at the Blackjack table, on my first ever trip to a casino, but I did fall into the trap of saying “twist” and “stick”, taking the dealer’s advice a little too literally so it was like pontoon or 21.

Also being able to distinguish between a six and a nine, rather than simply seeing the chance to beat the dealer, would also help, but at the learner table it does not matter.

It is the perfect place to make those mistakes and have the dealer, who can have the cards in front of you before you have even blinked, run you through what you should have done – while of course swiping away the chips you have just lost.

And if truth be told, the quickest way to learn is to play.

It goes without saying I quickly lost the first two hands – I should have said “no card” rather than twist when I had 17 – but on the third, I beat the dealer and couldn’t help but celebrate.

Next, was a five-hand challenge to see who, out of the four of us at the table, could win the most chips.

We all started off rather cautiously, but in the last round all- of us, except one very prudent player, went all in and amazingly beat the odds.

After that we tried our hand at the roulette table, where you really do have to throw caution to the wind as it is purely a game of luck.

This time, on the last round we all placed all our chips and somehow my random choice of black, the last third and the square of numbers surrounding 11, won the competition.

Needless to say I told everyone about my beginner’s luck, although I might not be quite so gung-ho with my own money on my next visit.

After all, surely the real golden rule is to quit while you are ahead?