Casino plan on the cards for Star City

A CASINO could yet return to the Star City entertainment complex in Birmingham.

Genting closed its casino at Aston’s Star City in January with the loss of 220 jobs.

But the firm still retains a lease on the building so is now working with landlord Quadrant Estates on alternative uses for the vacant space.

It is currently using some of the space for administration but has now revealed new plans suggesting a smaller casino could return to the ground floor of the venue where gaming tables are still in situ and used for training croupiers.

A new restaurant could also open, according to a planning application.

A report accompanying the application said: “The proposal is to provide for the space to accommodate a range of possible uses – casino, training, leisure and restaurant.

“The main casino space on the first floor closed in January in response to changing market conditions in the gaming industry which meant the large casino space was not reflective of customer requirements.”

Genting’s Star City casino was one of the largest in the region and operated at the complex in Aston for 13 years but had been suffering in recent years and had reduced in size and entertainment.

In 2015, Genting opened its new Resorts World complex at the NEC in Solihull which has a casino, cinema, shops and several bars and is seen as a rival to Star City.

It also operates casinos in Birmingham city centre, Edgbaston and Coventry.

A spokesman for Genting said: “At this stage, we are considering a number of different possible options for the building in question.”