Wynn Resorts acquiring high-end London casino

Las Vegas-based Wynn Resorts Ltd. is buying Crown London, a small, members-only casino in the heart of London’s upscale Mayfair district, in a bid to connect wealthy British gamblers to the company’s soon-to-open Wynn Al Marjan Island in the United Arab Emirates.

The company did not disclose the purchase price of the London property and said the acquisition is not a play to spread into Europe, but connect players to the $5.1 billion, 1,542-unit resort development opening in 2027.

Wynn Al Marjan Island will have a 225,000-square-foot gaming area, 130,000 square feet of luxury retail, 145,000 square feet of convention and meeting space, 16 world-class restaurants and six bars and lounges.

The hotel rooms will include 297 suites, 22 villas and six townhouses.

“This acquisition of an iconic asset offers us a presence in a global gateway city and will create a conduit for Wynn guests to visit our resorts, particularly Wynn Al Marjan Island, which is slated to open in the first quarter of 2027 in Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates,” Wynn CEO Craig Billings said in an emailed release.

With the acquisition of Crown London, Wynn will be a four-hour flight from about 30 percent of the world’s high-net-worth individuals, according to a report the company prepared for investors.

The company says the London property will be synergistic with the new UAE resort and it will have two years before its opening to market to the small but extremely high-end clientele consistent with the Wynn brand.

Crown London, in operation since the 1960s, caters to both international and local clientele, and has 20 table games and one food-and-beverage outlet.

The acquisition is subject to receiving customary regulatory approvals, which are anticipated in the second half of 2025.

Crown London spans two historic townhouses at 27-28 Curzon St., Mayfair, London. It offers 20 gaming tables in a variety of sophisticated salons, as well as an intimate restaurant and lounge for entertaining. The casino will operate under the Crown London name until the transaction closes.

Wynn will have a 40 percent stake in Wynn Al Marjan Island, which is under construction on 115 acres in the Ras Al Khaimah emirate on the Arabian Gulf inlet of the Persian Gulf.

The resort that will have rooms, suites and villas, Wynn’s first beachfront property, initially will be the first UAE property with a casino with that emirate legalizing gaming.

The architecture is a departure from Wynn’s traditional sweeping bronze-colored design used at Wynn Las Vegas, Encore Las Vegas, Wynn Macau and Encore Boston Harbor with a 1,000-foot tower.

The London acquisition will extend Wynn’s global footprint in Europe. It already has operations in Asia, with three properties in Macao, and the United States with Wynn and Encore Las Vegas and Encore Boston Harbor.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.