“Luxurious” makeover of Bally’s Casino in Newcastle gets under way

Work is set to start on Bally’s Casino in Newcastle, with the owners promising a “luxurious, state-of-the-art environment”.

The casino, which is located at The Gat and is Bally’s first casino in the UK, will remain open during the renovations, which have also promised the creation of modern amenities. 

Bally’s Newcastle general manager David Tait said: “My team and I look forward to welcoming both our current and new guests and we can’t wait to showcase everything we’ve been working on. We remain open and guests will be able to see some exciting changes very soon.”

The former Aspers Casino site was bought by Bally’s last year and has now been fully rebranded. It represents the US company’s first casino in the UK and one of its first outside the US. Bally’s has bought out the rights to Star Entertainment Group’s three Australian casinos in the same year, having already undergone significant expansion in the US.

Bally’s was launched as BLB Investors in 2004. The company filed for bankruptcy in 2009 but emerged from bankruptcy in 2010, owned by its lenders. Changing its name to Twin River Worldwide Holdings, the company started buying up casinos and other venues across the US in the 2010s. 

2020 was an especially busy year with the group buying seven casinos and, in October, Twin River bought the Bally’s brand from Caesars before rebranding all of its venues and interests. 

The company has continued to expand its interests. Most recently, it merged with Queen Casino and Entertainment. 

According to the company’s recent financial filing, “inclement weather and increased supply in a few of our regional markets offset the growth generated by the addition of the Queen assets” before going on to say that “despite the competitive landscape, during the first quarter, Bally’s legacy properties outpaced market growth in seven of 12 jurisdictions.”

The group said UK revenue rose 4.9% thanks to Bally’s efforts at customer retention. Spanish revenues also increased, but it wasn’t enough as overall revenue for the quarter ending 31 March was down 4.7% compared to the same period last year. 

Casino and resort revenue was up 2.6% compared to 2024, and Bally’s will be hoping this figure will see a further increase after the acquisition and rebranding of Aspers Casino in Newcastle.

Kevin Clegg, VP of British retail and corporate affairs, said of the redevelopment: “Our guests can look forward to an enhanced experience throughout the year while we complete our refurbishment plan. We are proud to become a part of the Newcastle community and to contribute to the local economy in a safe, responsible gambling environment.” 

The redevelopment is expected to continue throughout the summer and should be completed by the end of the year. 

Considering the group’s continued growth, it is likely that we will see more Bally’s sites opening across the country in the coming months. 

Although the Newcastle site is Bally’s first physical UK casino, the group does already have a presence in the market, having launched the online Bally Casino in 2023 through the acquisition of Megaways.