Why One Casino Boss Says Leicester Square Is a Crisis Point for London

_{London's Hippodrome Casino is a jewel in the crown for tourists. (Image: Alan Evans/Casinos.com} 

Simon Thomas has been in the West End long enough to know how much one square can say about an entire city.

As executive chairman of the Hippodrome Casino, open 24/7 and just steps from the square, he says the chaos and confusion around Leicester Square during New Year’s Eve wasn’t just unfortunate, it was a warning.

‘It’s too important to drift’

“Like many Londoners and many businesses in the West End, I was disappointed to see Leicester Square being portrayed nationally over the New Year as somewhere visitors should avoid,” Thomas said in a statement shared with Casinos.com.

_{Simon Thomas is urging action to prevent Leicester Square 'drifting into a reputation for chaos'.}

The square, a gateway for millions of tourists and a focal point of London’s theatre and nightlife economy, has long been a symbol of the capital’s vibrancy. But recent headlines painted a different picture: crowded platforms, inconsistent transport access, unchecked pedicabs, and what many called a “chaotic” experience for locals and visitors alike.

“It welcomes millions of people a year and sits at the heart of our tourism, theatre and night-time economy,” Thomas said. 

“That makes it too important to drift into a reputation for chaos, poor behaviour and poor visitor experience.”

Coordination, not blame

The Hippodrome employs over 820 staff and invests heavily in round-the-clock safety measures, including private security and close coordination with the Metropolitan Police and Westminster Council. But even robust planning can’t compensate for system-wide failures.

“What visitors experience is shaped by the whole system, policing, enforcement, transport and street management,” Thomas said.

He pointed to the lack of visible enforcement over pedicab rules and sudden closures of Leicester Square and other central Underground stations as examples of how fragmented decisions can spiral quickly into frustration.

Local businesses, the council, Transport for London and police “all want the same thing,” he said: a safer, more confident, more welcoming West End. 

“The answer is not blame, it is coordination, resourcing and visible action.”

A shop window to the world

That’s why Thomas is calling 2026 a make-or-break year. With the UK capital increasingly competing with cities like Paris, Berlin and Madrid for post-Brexit tourist traffic, central landmarks like Leicester Square are under scrutiny.

“Leicester Square is one of London’s shop windows to the world,” he said. 

“It deserves the same care, attention and pride as any of our great public spaces.”

Major Economic Driver

With over 300,000 daily visitors pre-pandemic and a £10 million regeneration completed just three years ago, Leicester Square is more than just a photo-op location, it’s a major economic driver.

But for that reputation to hold, the infrastructure has to work. Thomas’s call is clear: better planning, more enforcement, and a commitment to action over rhetoric. Not just for the Hippodrome, but for the West End, and for London itself.