Merkur Casino Leeds Restores Its Poker Room After Recent Acquisition
Written by Henrik Vogel · Sep 13, 2026
Merkur Casino Leeds Restores Its Poker Room After Recent Acquisition
The Merkur Group completed its purchase of the Leeds venue in July 2026, and operators have begun preparations to reopen the dedicated poker room that originally opened alongside the rest of the property in 2017, when the site received an estimated £30 million investment to create a 50,000-square-foot facility with 22 table games, 75 electronic tables, and more than 170 slots.
Background on the Venue and Its Original Features
Originally launched as Victoria Gate Casino, the Leeds location included a 100-capacity poker room from the start, and that space remained part of the offering until operations paused under previous ownership, observers note, while the broader casino floor continued to run its mix of live and electronic games.
After the July 2026 acquisition, Merkur moved quickly to integrate the property into its existing UK portfolio, and the company has now confirmed that the poker room will resume operations, giving British players another physical venue for live poker at a time when several other markets have seen reductions in available tables.
Timeline of Merkur's Recent Poker Initiatives
Merkur first relaunched poker at Casino MK in May 2026, and the Leeds decision follows that earlier step, creating two active sites within the group where players can access live poker alongside the existing table games and slot offerings, according to industry reports.
The Leeds venue stands out because it is restoring a room rather than introducing one from scratch, and this approach allows the operator to reuse the original infrastructure that was designed for up to 100 players when the casino first opened nearly a decade ago.
Industry Context and Dealer Recruitment
While some poker rooms in places such as Las Vegas have closed in recent years, the Merkur move in Leeds represents an expansion of live poker availability in the UK, and the company is currently hiring experienced poker dealers to staff the room once it reopens, data from recruitment listings shows.
Those positions target staff who already hold relevant qualifications and can handle both cash games and tournaments, which helps ensure the room can offer a full schedule from the first day of operations.
Facility Specifications and Player Access
The full casino floor continues to operate its 22 table games and 75 electronic tables in addition to the slot machines, and the restored poker room adds a distinct area focused solely on card play, which many players prefer over electronic alternatives for the social and strategic elements involved.
Because the room retains its original 100-player capacity, it can host multiple simultaneous games without requiring major structural changes, and this reuse of existing space keeps setup costs lower than building a new facility from the ground up.
Operational Steps Following the Acquisition
Since taking ownership in July 2026, Merkur has reviewed all areas of the Leeds site and identified the poker room as a priority for reactivation, and the company has aligned this plan with its broader strategy of maintaining live gaming options across its properties, as noted in statements released to trade publications.
Recruitment for dealers forms part of that preparation, adn the positions specify prior experience in UK poker environments so that new staff can integrate quickly with the existing table games team already working on site.
Conclusion
The reopening of the poker room at Merkur Casino Leeds adds one more venue to the UK live poker map, and it follows the earlier relaunch at Casino MK, showing a consistent direction for the operator after its July 2026 acquisition of the 50,000-square-foot property, according to PokerNews coverage of the development. The venue continues to run its full complement of table games, electronic tables, and slots while the poker area returns to service, and the current dealer hiring process supports the planned restart later in 2026.