Patrick Noakes, former managing director of Gala Casinos, will serve as manager of the UK’s third largest casino, the upcoming Victoria Gate in Leeds, Yorkshire County. The property is expected to open before the end of the year and will employ more than 200 people to start.
Before joining Global Gaming Ventures, Victoria Gate Casino’s operator, Noakes held a number of roles over a 13-year career at Gala Coral Group, including main board director of the combined casino, bingo, betting and leisure complex run by Gala in Gibraltar, according to Insidermedia.com. He also spent 10 years with the firm in a “regional capacity” that included Yorkshire, the website reported.
“Victoria Gate Casino will be a casino unlike any other in the north of England,” said Noakes. “It’s an entertainment destination in the heart of Leeds and with a capacity of 1,400, will be one of the biggest venues in the city.
“Over the next few months the team and I will be busy recruiting for a range of roles from gaming, waiting and bar staff, to chefs, cashiers, greeters, security and administrative roles,” Noakes continued.
He’ll have a lot of experienced candidates to choose from. As the new property plans its grand opening, the Rank Group has announced the imminent closure of one of its two gaming halls in Leeds. According to the Yorkshire Evening Post, the Grosvenor Casino on Merrion Way will shut down for good this month because the casino’s landlord decided not to renew the lease.
