‘One of a kind’ Jimmy Thomas, man behind £60m Hippodrome Casino, dies aged 88
LOUGHBOROUGH LAD WENT ON TO MAKE HUGE MARK IN LEISURE AND GAMING INDUSTRIES IN UK
LEICESTERSHIRE businessman who made his mark in amusement arcades and bingo halls before opening London’s £60 million Hippodrome Casino has died, aged 88.
Jimmy Thomas was born and raised in Loughborough, and was part of a family that, for seven generations, has been immersed in the UK leisure and gaming industries.
He made his name running amusement arcades such as the Showboat chain, as well as bingo halls, including Loughborough’s Beacon Bingo.
After selling that side of the business for a reported £80 million in 2006, he and son Simon bought and renovated what had been a grubby nightclub previously owned by Peter Stringfellow in the capital’s worldfamous Leicester Square.
They saw the Hippodrome as a potential goldmine, particularly the introduction of more liberal gambling rules, and reopened the grade II-listed building as an opulent casino in 2012.
Jimmy died in his sleep, with his family close by, on the morning of Saturday, July 30. He leaves son Simon and two daughters, Lisa and Carla, from his marriage to Alma, who died in 2008, as well as a son, Jordan, from his second marriage, along with seven grandchildren and three step-grandchildren.
Interviewed in the Leicester Mercury in 2014, after receiving the Freedom of the City of London, he said: “I don’t intend to slow down until I’m 90 – I have the biggest casino in Europe and it’s a full-time job.”
Simon, who is the executive chairA man of the Hippodrome, said: “My father achieved enough for several lifetimes and was respected the world over for his business leadership and pioneering vision. I had the privilege of his advice and guidance not only as a business partner, but as a son.
“He was one of a kind, and will be greatly missed by his family, many friends and staff members.”
Jimmy was born in Loughborough in 1934, and educated at Uppingham School. He opened his first casino in 1956 in the Hurst Hotel, in Quorn, followed by others in Nottingham and Derby. In 1965, he launched the La Ronde Casino & Cabaret Club in Loughborough.
In the early 1960s, Jimmy founded Thomas Automatics, which estabwith lished itself as one of the world’s largest manufacturers, designers, suppliers and exporters – to 37 countries – of amusement and leisure equipment.
His achievements also included founding Showboat Holdings, which comprised a number of companies including Showboat Entertainment Centre, which grew to be the leading, privately-owned group of amusement centres in the country, and Beacon Entertainments, a market leader in the innovation, operation and design of bingo and social clubs.
A sale took place in 1987 to The Rank Organisation, together with a demerger of some of the companies which were retained by the Thomas family, and the parent company, Thomas Holdings, was formed.
As chief executive and, later, with his son Simon as managing director, the group – Thomas Estates (Showboat Amusement Centres) and Beacon Entertainments (Beacon Bingo & Social Clubs) – continued to operate venues until, in August 2006, it was sold to Mayfair Acquisitions Co and operated under Riva Gaming.
This sale led to the father-and-son team tackling the most ambitious project the UK casino sector had ever seen - the multi-award-winning Hippodrome Casino, which opened in July 2012.
He was a member of many industry bodies, including a life member of the British Amusement & Catering Trades Association (Bacta), vice president and chairman of the Bacta Charitable Trust and director of the European Amusement & Gaming Expo (EAGE) since its formation in May, 2009.
In 2013, Jimmy was honoured by the Casino Association with a lifetime achievement award, and was the first living person to be honoured on the Bacta Wall of Fame.
In 2019, he was honoured with another lifetime achievement honour at the British Casino Awards.