Monopoly players all know that Mayfair is the most expensive square on the board at £400. But this ultra-exclusive corner of central London is also home to some of the UK’s biggest and most high-class casinos. Although the district is very high-end, a lot of people don’t have the time, funds, or resources to visit Mayfair’s casinos. Luckily, if we look at a UK online casinos list, there are plenty of more convenient options that allow players to enjoy the latest games from home, and with deposit amounts starting at just £10. Nevertheless, Mayfair is still home to some of Britain’s top gambling houses. But how did this happen? Let’s tell you seven ways that made Mayfair London’s casino hotspot.
From May Fair to Mayfair
The area we now call Mayfair was once open fields that played host to St James’ Fair, which initially ran for four days in late April and early May from potentially as early as the late 13th century before it finally closed in 1764, having expanded into a fortnight-long festival. While it played host to a range of stalls and festivities (indeed, it is likely that these involved some form of gambling), it ended up getting a reputation for rowdiness. Following a petition by the Earl of Coventry, who lived in nearby Piccadilly, it was abolished. In its place came houses. Big, expensive houses. Big, expensive houses with wealthy, powerful owners. The transformation from the May Fair to Mayfair had already started. Soon enough, the change was complete.
A history of luxury
In the 18th and 19th centuries, Mayfair, with its rows of grand Georgian houses, large squares, convenient location, and high-class living, became one of London’s best places to live. While the British Empire expanded, wealth flowed into the capital and, before too long, a Mayfair address became a sign of high status. One of the key figures behind this was Hugh Grosvenor, Marquess of Westminster. As perhaps the largest landowner in Victorian Mayfair, he was responsible for a lot of the sights and character of modern Mayfair. Elevated to a Duchy and becoming the first Duke of Westminster in 1874, his descendants remain owners of large chunks of Mayfair and are still one of Britain’s wealthiest families. Meanwhile, Mayfair got ever more high-end and exclusive.
The law changes
At some point, the law had to get involved. Well, the story of Mayfair got irrevocably changed by one piece of legislation. Until 1961, pretty much every form of gambling on any sort of scale was illegal in the United Kingdom. Neither casinos nor off-track bookmaking were allowed. That all changed, though, when the 1960 Betting and Gaming Act came into force on New Year’s Day 1961. Now, people could set up their own casinos, but there were strict limitations. However, it did mean that people could establish gambling houses based on the exclusive ones in Europe, and Mayfair was a great place to do it. John Aspinall, a bookmaker who exploited a loophole in the law to run games of Baccarat, was one of the first people in Britain to get a gambling license, and, in 1962, he opened London’s first casino at the Clermont Club in Mayfair’s Berkeley Square.
Success breeds success
If there is one thing that helps bring businesses to an area, it’s other businesses like it. The Clermont Club casino was a massive hit, and anyone who was anyone, or who wanted to be anyone, was in attendance. Other potential casino operators took a look at Aspinall’s business and thought, “I want to do that. I can do that. I’m going in”, took a look at Mayfair with its spacious, grand, high-end buildings and decided that they were going to start up casinos in Mayfair, too. Soon, there were several casinos in the area, with Clermont being joined by a host of rivals. And these places all put a focus on high-end, high-stakes, and high-class gambling, meaning a night at a Mayfair casino became an event in itself.
Location, location, location
That’s all very well and good, of course, but why Mayfair? Yes, it is exclusive, but it isn’t like places such as Belgravia and Kensington lack high-end residents. Well, there are a couple of good reasons that are all down to Mayfair’s physical location. It is right next to the West End, meaning one could combine a trip to the theatre or some of Oxford Street’s flagship shops with a night out at the casino very easily. Similarly, it is close to some of London’s most exclusive hotels, meaning that it can host big-time players paying a visit to the capital without too much difficulty.
Mayfair is classy
Let’s rewind a bit. When most of Mayfair was developed in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, the emphasis was on status and luxury. Even though some of the houses are now used for other things, such as casinos, there is still a certain cachet to a Mayfair address. This benefits casinos because it gives them a kind of status via address that they wouldn’t have if they were in a more insalubrious part of town. In other words, casinos want to attract high-stakes clientele. People who can afford to gamble at a high-end casino want to be among other people like them. Mayfair is a kind of shorthand for a high-class location attracting high-class punters and keeping everyone happy.
A history of discretion
If you’re a high-end gambler, you don’t want everyone to necessarily know what you are doing. That isn’t because you’re up to no good or anything like that, but rather that it’s nice to have some privacy from time to time. That’s something Mayfair has always offered. With the amount of legendary gentlemen’s clubs in the area, businesses know all too well the importance of giving patrons some time and space out of the public eye. The same principles apply to casinos and, in Mayfair, gambling houses know just how to let their clientele be.
So, that’s that. A history of high-quality homes and buildings, coupled with a fashionable location, set the stage for Mayfair as London’s casino capital. Once casinos became legal, Mayfair was able to attract some big-money players, who attracted other big-money players. Soon, a Mayfair casino, whether it’s at Les Ambassadeurs, the Palm Beach, or the Park Tower Casino, became the place to be, and it looks like that is going to continue for quite some time.
