FEATURE
Hi-tech – the casino’ s state-ofthe-art interior.
We can offer genuine opportunities for progression, making us a stable and rewarding employer for people across the region.” a strong start for the business and generating excitement about the opportunities ahead as the venue establishes itself within Middlesbrough’ s leisure scene.
Paul Hyman, chief operating officer of Luxury Leisure, described restoring full casino gaming to Middlesbrough as“ a significant moment for the business and, more importantly, for the town”.
For local people, the expansion is also creating new opportunities to build a career with a growing business. Luxury Leisure operates an internally focused development programme, with a strong emphasis on promoting from within. Many of its senior venue managers have progressed through the business over decades of service.
“ We’ re passionate about developing our people,” says Megan.
“ When we identify talent, we invest in it. Many of our managers started in entry-level roles and have built longterm careers with the business. As we continue to grow, we can offer genuine opportunities for progression, making us a stable and rewarding employer for people across the region.”
Safer gambling is central to Luxury Leisure’ s approach and is embedded across every aspect of the business.
“ Safer gambling is absolutely fundamental to what we do,” says Megan.“ It’ s critical that we have the right measures in place and that every member of staff is fully trained to recognise when someone may need support and follows those procedures consistently.”
Age verification is the first step, with customers’ identification checked against SENSE, the national self-exclusion scheme.
“ If a customer’ s details appear on SENSE, we know immediately they are self-excluded and they would not be permitted to enter the venue,” Megan explains.
Staff are also trained to recognise changes in customer behaviour.“ Our venues are very community-focused, so our teams build relationships with regular customers. That means they’ re often able to spot changes in someone’ s visiting patterns, spending or behaviour. When that happens, staff will have a supportive conversation to check they’ re OK, and every interaction is recorded.” The company’ s commitment to the communities in which it operates extends beyond its venues. Now in its fourth year of working with the British Heart Foundation, Luxury Leisure has raised nearly £ 1m for the charity. In addition, around 50 defibrillators have been installed across its Admiral venues, helping improve access to potentially lifesaving equipment for customers and local communities. The company also distributes heart health information through its outlets.
For Middlesbrough, the arrival of Admiral Casino restores a long-absent part of the town’ s entertainment offer. For Luxury Leisure, it marks the first step into a new category for a business with a longstanding local presence and ambitious plans for continued growth.
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