Grosvenor Casinos workers in London are planning to go on strike during the festive season as pay disputes at the firm escalate.
Unite The Union has announced that around 140 of its members who are workers for three Rank Group-owned casinos in the UK capital “will walk out in two different 48-hour strikes after rejecting a below-inflation 2.5% pay rise”.
On Boxing Day and 27 December, followed by New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, workers at the Rialto in Leicester Square, the Victoria on Edgware Road and the Gloucester on Gloucester Road will walk out. The dates are traditionally some of the busiest of the calendar for the London casinos.
Unite members involved in the dispute work in roles such as running the poker rooms and roulette tables, which will impact Grosvenor on the strike days, as these roles require a license and significant training.
iGaming Expert has reached out to Rank for comment on the planned strike action from Grosvenor Casinos workers over the festive period.
“Grosvenor Casinos is a very profitable company which can well afford to offer its staff more than a real terms pay cut masquerading as a miserly pay rise,” commented Sharon Graham, General Secretary of Unite.
“Our members will have Unite’s total support throughout this industrial action.”
Budget impact
Like many operators in the UK market, Rank was impacted by the recent budget announcement from the government, which saw remote gaming duty rise to 40%.
John O’Reilly, Chief Executive of Rank, said in response to the budget that the increase was “a very significant blow to the regulated betting and gaming industry in the UK”, and while they were pleased with bingo duty being abolished, digital profitability has been hit.
“In the year to 30 June 2025, Rank reported a profit after tax of £44.6m and paid taxes in the UK of £188m,” O’Reilly noted.
“That burden will now increase by a further £40m and we will look to mitigate the impact where possible.”
However, Unite has criticised the casino operator, stating that “senior management at the London casinos were taken on an all-expenses paid trip to South Africa by the company while it refused to budge on its 2.5% pay rise for licenced gaming staff” which it deemed below inflation and “in effect a real-terms pay cut”.
The union added that during previous strike action in 2022, Grosvenor Casinos “attempted to engage in union-busting activity by bringing in workers from elsewhere in the country to work in its London venues”.
Janet MacLeod, Regional Officer for Unite, added: “This strike will have a massive impact on takings, especially given the time of year, but these skilled workers deserve much more. This strike is entirely the fault of Grosvenor Casinos prioritising greed.
“Unite has offered talks to resolve this dispute, but instead of coming to the table with a decent pay offer this Christmas, Grosvenor Casinos has shown its hand in choosing to play Scrooge. Grosvenor Casinos can stop this action, but it requires it to come back to negotiations with an offer acceptable to our members.”
