The second city of the United Kingdom might well also lay claim to being the biggest casino city outside of the nation’s capital. It would have to go some way to challenge London and its twenty-plus casinos, but given both the population size of Birmingham and the number of visitors that it attracts every year, it’s not a surprise that it boasts so many casinos.
Much like Manchester being a wider region than just the city centre, so too is there more to Birmingham than just the bullring shopping centre and the football grounds of Aston Villa and Birmingham City. In terms of casinos, there are seven on offer in the largest city in the Midlands. Little wonder that it’s so popular with gamblers from around the world.
The Casinos
The seven casinos on offer in the region of Birmingham include the Genting that you’ll find at Resorts World, which is close to the National Exhibition Centre.
Genting International Casino at Resorts World
When it comes to Birmingham’s casino, there really is nowhere else to start other than with the Genting International Casino at Resort World. That’s because it is the first resort casino in all of Europe, promising a combination of the latest technology and also plenty of dining and entertainment facilities.
Resort World itself offers people an IMAX cinema, the Genting Hotel & Spa and a host of restaurants and bars. It’s the casino that we’re most interested in here, of course, and on that front you will not be disappointed. The gaming floor offers fourteen roulette tables, nine tables for blackjack and four each of three-card poker and baccarat.
If it’s table poker you enjoy then you’ll be pleased by the offerings here, given that you can get involved with other takes on the main game with the likes of Crazy 4 Poker, 2 Way Poker and Ultimate Poker. The sheer variety and number of tables of each of the games means that the stakes you’ll have to play vary wildly.
If you’d rather get involved in a poker tournament then you’re in luck, given that the Genting International Casino has a dedicated poker room. There are tournaments and cash games available throughout the week, so there’ll be plenty of opportunities to demonstrate your skills. There’s also free coaching available for beginners.
If the table games, slot machines and poker offerings are too much then why not give yourself a break? You don’t have to leave the casino to get a nice bit of food, with Fahrenheit Grill being available for a decent selection of grub. There’s also a couple of bars around the venue that promise a good drinks selection, snack menus and live sports on big screens.
Genting Casino – Chinatown
If you don’t fancy the trek out to Resort World but you still like what Genting has to offer as a chain then you might want to sample the offering at the city’s Chinatown. It’s really central, so you don’t have to stray too far from the goings on of the city, but that doesn’t mean that it’s small or fails to offer all of the games that you’re likely to want to play.
There are live dealer and electronic version of all of the most popular casino games around, including roulette and blackjack. It’s also a place that is big on its baccarat, promising six tables of the game. There are also a host of slot machines that give you the chance to win progressive jackpots if you get particularly lucky.
The only thing that the Genting Casino in Chinatown lacks is the ability to get involved in poker other than of the three-card variety. There are no tournaments or cash games held here and no private poker room either. There is a good restaurant, though, especially if you like Chinese food. The main bar overlooks the casino and also offers snack food.
Genting Casino – Edgbaston
The final member of the Genting Casino chain is located in the area of Edgbaston, better known for the cricket ground. It underwent a refurbishment reasonably recently, which means that it’s now one of the most modern casinos in the city. Whilst it’s not a small gaming floor, it is worth noting that most of the gaming is provided by electronic means.
Obviously that includes a heap of slot machines with all of the latest games, but there’s also electronic versions of roulette, poker and baccarat. Not that you’re forced to go to the electronic machines to play those games, of course. There are live table versions of all of them, with different stake levels available for different people’s desires.
Cash poker games are available every night here, with tournaments also a common occurrence. Being so close to the cricket ground, it’s not a shock that there’s the opportunity to watch sporting events in the casino’s bar. There’s also a version of the Fahrenheit Grill that is the Genting Casino brand’s restaurant chain available at their other casino venues.
Grosvenor Casino – Hill Street
The Grosvenor Casino on Hill Street might not be all that much to look at from the outside, but inside you’ll find a state-of-the-art casino that is popular with the locals. It was formerly part of the Gala group before it was welcomed into the Grosvenor family, which is why it was given a comprehensive overhaul not long ago.
That included a refurbishment of the casino’s gaming floor, which boasts a selection of all of the top slot games on offer at the moment. Add to that a pleasant, if unspectacular, number of table games and the reason it’s popular becomes clear. There’s also a decent poker room on-site, so both cash games and tournaments are popular.
The food and drink options at the Hill Street venue are probably best described as functional rather than spectacular, but you can get all of the usual drinks that you’d want as well as nice food options like ribs, pizza and steaks. As with most casinos, there are snack options from the bar if the restaurant is closed.
Grosvenor Casino – Broad Street
In terms of location, the Grosvenor Casino on Broad Street is probably the best if for no other reason than Broad Street is where most revellers tend to head to when they’re on a night out in Birmingham. It sits on the Five Ways roundabout and is often busy regardless of when you head there.
The business is at least partly thanks to the ample gaming floor, which usually has an excited and vibrant atmosphere. It’s spacious largely because it’s split over two floors, with the lower floor being given over to numerous table games. It’s not a shock to learn that these include the likes of blackjack, roulette and the ever-popular three-card poker.
The lower floor is where you’ll find the majority of the slot machines, though there are some on the main floor. There’s no poker on offer here other than the table game variety, but you can book a poker party if you want to. The restaurant is well-known for its steaks thanks to the fact that it’s a grill, whilst there’s a good bar for all your drinking needs.
Broadway Casino – Broadway Plaza
Another casino in a decent location is the one on Broadway Plaza, which first opened its doors back in 2005. It’s an independent casino, which sets it apart from most of the others on this list. Head to the gaming floor and you’ll find a mix of both live roulette tables and some of the electronic alternatives, plus all of the usual gaming choices.
There aren’t a load of slot machines at the Broadway Casino, but the ones that are there offer impressive jackpots, should you get lucky. The key thing that makes the casino an appealing one is the fact that its poker rooms can welcome more than one hundred and fifty people. There’s also a progressive jackpot available on the three-card poker tables.
Tournaments and cash games are both available in Broadway Casino’s poker rooms, but sometimes you’ll want to step away from the gaming floor and relax for a bit. That’s where the restaurant comes in handy, as well as the two bars that are on site. The Manhattan Bar is a particularly pleasant escape from the hustle and bustle of the casino.
Rainbow Casino – Edgbaston
Not far from the city centre and close to the cricket ground, Rainbow Casino is another one in a city mainly dominated by chain offerings, though this is the only Rainbow offering in Brum. The games on offer are mostly the traditional ones, so expect to find plenty of people playing roulette, trying their hand at blackjack and getting to know the rules of punto banco.
There aren’t a huge amount of slots on offer, but most of the popular games will be playable. It’s a good casino for casual gamers because of the fact that there are tables and games with low stakes. There’s no poker on offer other than three-card options, whilst the Clarendon Restaurant is on the second floor. The bar serves snacks as well as drinks.