Construction has started on a £150 million casino in Birmingham (US$247.5 million) that will be the UK’s largest.
The seven-story, 538,000-square-foot Resorts World Birmingham is due to open in early 2015 next to the city’s LG Arena with 170 four-star hotel rooms, 45 retail outlets, an 11-screen cinema, bars and restaurants and convention and meeting facilities.
Owner Genting Casinos UK, a division of Malaysian resort conglomerate Genting Group, said the complex will create 1,750 construction jobs and another 1,100 full-time jobs when it opens. It also is expected to provide a signficant boost to the city’s National Exhibition Centre, which draws 70% of its visitors from outside the Birmingham area and 10% from outside the country. Economic spinoffs are estimated by PricewaterhouseCoopers at £58 million during construction and £32.8 million a year once operations commence.
Resorts World Birmingham is one of eight large casinos which have been approved by the British government for cities around the country and will be the first of the lucrative Genting casino franchise to open in Europe. Genting operates the brand in Singapore, Manila and New York City. In Britain the company operates more than 40 casinos and sponsors Birmingham’s Aston Villa Football Club in England’s Premier League.
Lord Green, minister for Trade and Investment, said, “The decision by Genting to invest £150 million in Birmingham and £250 million in the UK overall, is a major signal that Britain is open for business.”
