Genting Casino Newcastle Review and Player Feedback 2024

Day two of my Newcastle casino tour sees me call in at the city’s Grosvenor Casino. Now I’ve visited many a Grosvenor venue during my ventures across the UK, some have been frankly dull, others much more exciting and dynamic. So, what awaits me in the North East of England?

If you’re not already aware, I’m journeying the length and breadth of the UK visiting the well-known and the not-so-well-known casinos on your local high street. My reviews are here to help would-be players learn about the services provided at these establishments, and offer some tips and tricks as to how to get the most from your experience.

Up here in this northern city, you’ve a selection of three main Newcastle casinos to pick from. So that begs the question - just how good is the Grosvenor Newcastle Casino, and where does it sit among those? Let’s find out.

The Grosvenor Casino is at 100 St. James Boulevard, which is still relatively central to the city of Newcastle. I was staying at the Premier Inn by The Gate Complex, but would be staying this second night at the Leonardo Hotel, which is right across the road from the Grosvenor Casino. The distance between the two is about 15 minutes on foot. Given that I needed to lose a few pounds I did walk, it which was pleasant enough. I got to see plenty of the city in action.

As someone new to the city, I found it’s not hard at all to make your way around. Newcastle is surprisingly small. If you do decide to drive here, the venue comes with free car parking space which is to the back and side of the property.

The Grosvenor Casino venue is a detached building that was completed in 1999. I was actually pretty surprised it's been knocking about so long, as it looks no different to many of the new casinos in the UK - perhaps that's more an indictment on them. The casino covers two floors and includes two bar areas and a separate restaurant. From the outside of the building there’s no mistaking what entertainment awaits inside, as large bold white lettering signals out Online, Bar, Music, Poker, Slots, and Lounge.

Hours

I arrived at the Newcastle Grosvenor Casino at 4:00pm. This venue is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so I could have come at any time – but I like to get my sleep at a sensible hour. Tables are active from 2:00pm to 6:00am every day, and the restaurant begins serving customers from 6:00pm to 11:00pm, with select plates available to order at the bars and tables outside of those hours. 

Now, admittedly, it was quiet. I could count the number of players and staff on all three of my hands. I then realise this is 4:00pm on a Saturday when Newcastle are playing a match at home. St. James’ Park has a capacity of 52,000, so the city can feel a bit of a ghost town whenever its residents are otherwise occupied there instead. 

Entering the Casino

Upon arrival, I was greeted by reception staff who didn’t check my ID. I sometimes do get asked, but on this occasion, we’ll put the lack of interrogation down to my ever-greying beard. I was however asked if I was a member, and having replied no, I was then asked if I would like a membership card. Now, this is the first time a Grosvenor Casino staff member has tried to sell this into me across the country. Seeing as they were polite enough to ask, I took them up on the offer of becoming a member – but feel free to decline yourself. 

The Venue

Once inside the gaming area, I made my way around the tables to assess what entertainment was on offer and how clean the venue was. 

From the outside, the Grosvenor Casino looks massive, but once inside you realise it’s something of a reverse-Tardis. This impacts the number of games and the type of games they can supply. The style is a touch dated. The main gaming hall is floor-to-ceiling pink. So too are the tables. I suppose it looks charming to some, but it landed more garishly to me.

Food and drink: Within the venue there’s a full-blown restaurant area accompanied by two bar zones, with one angled towards sports. The separate restaurant was empty, unsurprising given it didn’t start serving for a couple of hours yet. Between the two bar areas there were a few people watching football on the TV monitors.

Car parking: the free car park can hold a fairly large number of cars. I didn’t walk around to count the spaces, but at a guess, maybe 50+ cars could fit in the area.

Accessibility: Grosvenor Casino does have ample disabled parking and toilets, with access for wheelchairs available throughout all parts of the building.

Smoking: This casino has a decent sized yard where you can head to smoke. It looked as though there may even be a bar area here, alas it was boarded up when I visited. Maybe something to look forward to for summer.

The Grosvenor Casino in Newcastle provides a good – albeit not incredible – range of casino games. Players can enjoy roulette, blackjack, and poker. There are a good number of slots situated around the venue that are supplied by some well-known gaming developers. The likes of Novomatic and Barcrest feature with some popular games like Rainbow Riches, all names you'll know well if you play at UK slot sites.

There are also some electronic terminals that connect to the roulette table if you are unable to grab a seat near the croupier. The roulette games offered by Grosvenor Casino are only the American variant, which does annoy me because of all the variants that roulette is available in, the American one is the least favourable to players.

Table Games and Tournaments

Inside the game’s hall, there are a total of 12 dealer tables. Poker is the more common of these games and competitions do take play throughout the weekend from Friday to Sunday. If you want a clear date on when special poker tournaments take place, then I’d recommend you check the casino’s Facebook page – the one specifically for the Newcastle venue.

There is no separate VIP area or room in this venue. There were also no special high or low-limit tables. The options were as you would expect, but all the games were in immaculate condition. It would be interesting to know just how busy this place gets.

Playing Experience

Given how quiet the casino was, I was able to experience every game they had. In doing this, I was able to natter with the staff members. At the time, not all tables were manned. The dealer on the blackjack table also later covered a poker game. 

I’m a roulette fan and this is where I spent most of the afternoon. I can’t say that observed the casino getting busier during the time I was in the venue. The mood was very relaxed and most staff that weren’t too busy would talk amongst themselves. 

What I also noticed is that almost everyone playing inside this casino was over the age of 50, and I’m not a million miles from that figure myself. I get the impression that a lot of regulars come here. They know the staff and the staff know them beyond the normal customer and server relationship. The energy does give off this social club vibe, especially within the bar area. Again, it’s no bad thing.

The Grosvenor Casino membership is attached to the One Card. This is not only a casino membership but also an online casino wallet. The Grosvenor One Card works across all the company’s land-based casinos in the UK and connects to their online casino website. Armed with this membership card, players can get fast-track entry into all casinos. Players can get access to funds added to the card. You can swap funds between the casino and their online casino seamlessly. Plus, the One Card allows you to set gaming limits. That’s always handy.

Land-Based

Now, with the online Grosvenor Casino - comfortably one of the best online casinos by the way - there are a few more perks like the welcome bonus offers. But this is where the benefits of being a Grosvenor member end. All high street casinos are notoriously stingy when it comes to giving out gaming rewards and bonuses. Usually, players are guaranteed meal deals and drink offers. Very rarely will a casino offer up the chance to play any of their casino games for free. Online, yes, but walk into Grosvenor Casino Newcastle and as with 99% of all casinos up and down the UK, the gaming rewards dry up.

Online

If you do head over to the Grosvenor Casino online, you’ll spot sports promotions with double odds, cashback, and boost bundles. There’s even free-to-play bonuses, live casino bonuses, and gaming challenges. If that wasn't enough, Grosvenor joins the ranks of fast withdrawal online casino sites, with most transactions cleared in 15 minutes or less. It all does make one wonder how casinos on our high streets are surviving when there’s so much incentive to play online.

At 4:00pm on a matchday in Newcastle, it’s totally understandable that this casino wasn’t entirely busy for the two hours I spent there. I did speak with a dealer called Sean and threw the question out there, to which he replied that “it gets much livelier just after nine tonight, then again once the bars are closing around town”. Understandable.

I have to say that this Grosvenor Casino was a tad odd to this Southerner. I think locals and regulars treat it more as a bar than anything else. People seem to know each other, but maybe it’s just me being more used to seeing people ignoring each other in London. A friendly vibe is no bad thing, and I didn’t feel out of place.

While the location is accessible by foot, in the immediate surrounding area, there isn’t much else within a short walk if you exclude the Central Station. The Life Centre is across the road and Lane7 Newcastle, a 50s-inspired bowling alley with American dining, is about it. These hardly make for good pre- or post-casino venues, so I have to admit the setting was a minor letdown.

Most of my time at the venue was taken up by roulette, though I did get chance to play real money slots. As it happens, I was already familiar with all the titles available here, and if you regularly play them online, you will be too.

I didn’t get to try any of the food at Grosvenor Casino as the restaurant opens at 6:00pm, which is the time that the clock struck as I was leaving. However, the menu is the same as every other Grosvenor Casino, so I know that they offer good-value grub. Stuff on the menu includes things like burgers, nachos, scampi and fries, pies, and steaks.

⭐ Standout Moment

I always enjoy roulette, even if I have to swallow my pride and settle for American over French. The staff manning the roulette tables were great, and I certainly stuck around there longer than I originally intended to.

Would I recommend this casino to other players? Well, the venue provides all the basics, so if you’re someone who just wants the experience of play, then it does no harm to visit the Grosvenor Casino.

The staff were very friendly, the atmosphere was very relaxed, and some players would like the fact that there aren’t a hundred other players taking up space and using all the games. There’s also that regulars vibe I mentioned. I’d like to add that at no point did I feel unwelcome, but this is much more of a locals’ casino than a tourists’ one. You might like that, you might not. However, there is still something about the place that did me – and I am going to blame it on the pink décor. 

Is it the best casino Newcastle has? So far, it’s not the one I would race back to. But it does what it says on the tin.

St. James’ Boulevard is the main stretch of road that flanks the west side of the city centre from the River Tyne up to the mecca of Newcastle; the local team’s football stadium at St. James’ Park. This stretch of road is about a 20-minute walk from end to end, and the Grosvenor Casino is at the southern end of it.

Next door to the casino you’ll spot a gym, which is joint to the casino’s car park. If you’re travelling by car and plan on using it, the postcode you’ll want is NE1 4BN.

Without a car, your best bet is arriving into Newcastle Central. You can catch Tyne and Wear Metro services if you’re fairly local, while those from further afield can get here via National Rail services. Once you exit the station from the main entrance, take a left and follow Neville Street. Within a few minutes you’ll reach the junction with St James’ Boulevard. Take another left turn and it won’t be long before you spot the casino on the other side of the road.

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