Merkur Casino Completes Takeover of Leeds' Victoria Gate Casino
Victoria Gate Casino in Leeds has reopened under the Merkur brand after Merkur Casino UK completed its acquisition of the UK casino.
A City-Centre Casino Changes Hands
The venue, in the Victoria Gate leisure and retail complex in Leeds city centre, was owned and operated by a subsidiary of VGC Developments Ltd before the sale. Merkur said it would keep the existing team and retain the features guests knew, with the casino offering table games including blackjack, poker and roulette alongside slot machines.
The change of hands is recorded on the UK Gambling Commission's public register, where the operating licences held by VGC Leeds Limited, covering casino and bingo, were surrendered with an end date of July 14, 2026, in line with the transfer to Merkur.
Anyone checking an operator's status can search the same public register.
Merkur's Growing UK Estate
Victoria Gate is Merkur Casino UK's third casino in Britain. The company opened Aberdeen Casino in 2023 and acquired Casino MK in Milton Keynes in 2025, and it also runs a large estate of high-street slots venues and adult gaming centres as the UK arm of Germany's Merkur group.
Mark Schertle, chief operating officer of Merkur Casino UK, said: "We remain committed to investing in quality leisure venues and supporting the future of land-based gaming in the UK."
He added: "We are also pleased to be able to support local jobs and retain all experienced team members whose passion and professionalism helped make the casino such a well-established destination. We are focused on investing in the venue and look forward to reopening the doors and introducing customers to the Merkur experience in the months ahead."
Richard Noble, chief executive at Victoria Gate Casino, said: "We are proud of what has been built at Victoria Gate Casino and are pleased to be working with Merkur on the transfer of the venue. They share our commitment to delivering a high-quality customer experience."
What Comes Next
The purchase is a small piece of a wider pattern in British gambling, where land-based operators have kept buying city-centre casinos even as consumer spending shifts online. Merkur has cast the deal as a bet on the future of land-based gaming and part of a broader UK investment programme.
What to watch is whether Merkur adds further casino sites to its UK estate, and how the promised improvements to the Leeds venue take shape over the coming months.
