London’s Fox Poker was unexpectedly closed this week as part of a optimization plan by owner Genting UK, in which the location will be reopened in 2013 as a new casino.
In a brief press statement, Genting officials declared that the Shaftesbury Avenue casino was an under-performing property in its current poker-only format, and the club will be refurbished as part of a reworking of several properties, to be relaunched as a small casino with other games as well.
Genting specifically noted that the move was not an abandonment of poker, but more an ongoing optimization of the Fox Poker Club property. According to the presser:
Genting is committed to supporting Poker across the UK and we have had huge success with the rollout of the Genting Poker Series which will continue in 2013. We will retain a strong presence in London at the Genting Casino Cromwell Mint, and regular cash games are available at the The Palm Beach in Mayfair.
The Fox Poker Club operated in a fairly crowded local area of London for casino offerings, with two other clubs also spreading poker including the Hippodrome which is set to launch PokerStars-branded B&M and online poker rooms.
Genting itself hopes to refer its players to other clubs in Reading and Westcliff. The Shaftesbury Avenue’s reopening as a Genting Casino is tentatively slated for March of 2013.
