Grosvenor Casino Margate poker

What the Venue Actually Is

Players usually refer to it as Grosvenor Casino Margate, but on the UK Gambling Commission register the premises appear as Thanet Grosvenor Casino. The official site address is Unit 47, Westwood Cross, Margate Road, Broadstairs, CT10 2BF. In practice that means the building sits inside the Westwood Cross retail and leisure complex, not in Margate town centre itself. Useful to clock in advance, so you arrive at the right place.

Poker here forms part of a standard casino floor, with tables alongside other traditional games. The premises operate under Thanet District Council as the local licensing authority and form one location in the Grosvenor Casinos estate, which is owned by The Rank Group plc. This is a licensed, bricks-and-mortar casino. It is not a stand-alone poker club and not an online room, but a fully regulated land-based venue.

Public, independently verified information does not set out any detailed poker timetable. That means no confirmed cash game list, no published tournament schedule, no reliable session times. Nothing that can be checked from neutral sources. Realistically, the only way to know what is running on a given night is to ask the casino itself shortly before you travel.

Current contact details for the Westwood Cross casino:

Phone: 01843 579999
Email: [email protected]
Address: Unit 47, Westwood Cross, Margate Road, Broadstairs, Kent, CT10 2BF

The site also promotes entertainment evenings, such as tribute acts and other live shows. That tells you something about the model here: this is a general leisure and gaming venue where poker is one component, not a dedicated poker-only operation.

Licensing and Regulatory Framework

The legal backdrop comes from Grosvenor Casinos Limited, which holds active non-remote casino licences issued by the UK Gambling Commission. The main land-based licence is 000614-N-103221-018, authorised under the Casino 1968 Act Non-Remote category. Another company in the same group, Grosvenor Casinos (GC) Limited, sits on an additional active non-remote licence with reference 034161-N-315520-014. Both belong to The Rank Group plc, whose head office is at TOR, Saint-Cloud Way, Maidenhead, SL6 8BN.

The Gambling Commission premises register lists the Thanet location as a licensed casino under the Grosvenor Casinos Limited account (account number 614). Any poker dealt at the Margate / Thanet casino therefore falls under the requirements of the Gambling Act 2005 and, where still relevant, the Casino Act 1968.

All of these entries can be checked directly on gamblingcommission.gov.uk. Taking a minute to cross-check licence numbers and company names against the official public register, before sharing documents or depositing funds, is a sensible habit rather than paperwork for its own sake.

The Rank Group uses several legal entities within its structure. For internet products in particular, Rank Digital Gaming (Alderney) Ltd runs grosvenorcasinos.com for GB customers under UKGC licence 000-038074-R-319313-014. Rank Interactive Ltd appears separately in regulatory listings with remote casino licence 45169-R-319524-001. Large UK gambling groups often split activities across multiple licences like this. It is standard, but it can blur who is actually responsible for any one website, poker table or physical premises if you do not look carefully.

Planning a Visit to the Thanet Casino

Because there is no reliable public timetable for poker at this casino, it makes sense to treat every visit as something that needs checking first, especially if the whole trip is about poker rather than slots or other games.

A practical way to approach it could look like this:

1. Phone 01843 579999 during operating hours. Ask reception whether poker is currently being dealt, if it is cash, tournament, or both, and what typical start times look like.
2. If calling is not convenient, send an email to [email protected] with a clear question about the day or evening you have in mind and what poker is likely to run.
3. Confirm any membership requirements. Some UK casinos that trace back to Casino 1968 Act permissions used to operate with a mandatory membership period. Rules have shifted over the years, but it is safer to check than be turned away at the door.
4. Ask about dress expectations and which identification you should bring. The legal minimum age for entry to a UK casino is 18, and that is actively enforced.
5. Find out whether tournament seats, if offered, must be booked in advance or if walk-ins are accepted.
6. When you arrive at Westwood Cross, go straight to reception at Unit 47. Staff there can direct you to the correct gaming area and confirm on-the-day details.
7. Carry valid photo ID. Under Gambling Commission rules on social responsibility and anti-money laundering, UK casinos must verify age and, where relevant, identity and address.
8. Before sitting in, read the house rules for the specific poker variant in use at that table, so there are no surprises over betting structure or rake.

The Westwood Cross complex usually provides straightforward car parking and public transport access by local standards, which takes at least one point of friction out of the visit.

One thing worth underlining again: when poker is the main purpose of the trip, a quick call in advance is effectively mandatory. Schedules at mixed-use venues like this are flexible, and there is no official, always-updated calendar for players to check.