What You’re Actually Walking Into
The Clermont Club sits at 44 Berkeley Square in Mayfair, and the address almost sounds invented. It is not. The casino occupies a Grade I listed Georgian townhouse, designed by William Kent around 1740-1745, and that history is very visible the moment you walk in. Palladian architecture, the original Kent dining room, restored period features instead of modern replacements - it feels closer to an old private residence than a commercial casino floor.
Access is controlled. You cannot just walk in, sit down and start placing chips. Membership is required before you play at any table, and that is tied directly to licence conditions set by the UK Gambling Commission. The venue is run by Clermont Leisure (UK) Limited, which holds a UK Gambling Commission operating licence and a premises licence issued by Westminster City Council.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Address | 44 Berkeley Square, London W1J 5AR |
| Operator | Clermont Leisure (UK) Limited |
| Regulator | UK Gambling Commission |
| Premises Licence | Westminster City Council |
| Licence Reference | 002991-N-104015-016 |
| Contact Email | [email protected] |
| Contact Phone | +44 20 7952 8688 |
| Official Website | clermontclub.com |
The positioning is deliberately towards the top end of the market. The Clermont Club is aimed at affluent players, with high-limit table games and no slot machines on the floor. That shapes both the pace of play and the general atmosphere you step into.
How Membership Actually Works
You do not need an insider connection to join, but the process is not as quick as registering for an ordinary online account. The private club structure still shows in the way memberships are handled: no instant verification, no one-click sign-up.
In practice, it usually looks something like this:
- Visit clermontclub.com and look for the membership or contact area.
- Send a short enquiry through the online form or email the team at [email protected].
- Share your full name and contact details in the format they request.
- Wait for a reply from the membership office with instructions and any documents they need from you.
- Complete their identity checks and any registration forms they provide.
- Once the club reviews and approves your application, you receive confirmation of your membership status.
- From that point, you can arrange a visit to the gaming areas at 44 Berkeley Square.
- At your first arrival, show your membership confirmation at the entrance before heading further inside.
If anything in the process is unclear, phoning +44 20 7952 8688 during office hours usually gets a quicker response than email. Email support is there, but the phone tends to help when you want a direct yes or no on something specific.
One small thing that makes life easier: before you contact a private members’ club, have your ID ready and use exactly the same spelling and contact details on all forms. Little inconsistencies in names or addresses can mean extra checks and delay approval for no real reason.
A Brief History, Because It Actually Matters Here
The Clermont Club opened in 1962, created by John Aspinall - a gambler and entrepreneur who obtained one of the very first gaming licences after new British gambling laws came in. From the start, the place was set up for aristocrats, high-finance regulars, and public figures. Early members reportedly included Ian Fleming, David Frost, and Peter Sellers, which gives a fair idea of the original social circle around the club.
Aspinall later sold the business to Playboy Enterprises in the early 1970s for about £500,000. Playboy ran it through that decade, before eventually losing the licence in the early 1980s. After that, the property changed hands more than once. In 1990, Rank Group PLC acquired Mecca Leisure Limited and, through that deal, brought The Clermont Club into its Grosvenor Casinos portfolio.
The next major sale came in August 2006, when Grosvenor transferred the club to BIL Gaming Operations UK Ltd, a BIL International subsidiary that later became part of Guoco Leisure. That company, controlled by Malaysian businessman Quek Leng Chan, operated the venue for around twelve years. Despite the prestige, ongoing financial losses led to closure in 2018.
| Ownership Period | Owner | Key Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 - early 1970s | John Aspinall | Founded; early gaming licence issued |
| Early 1970s - early 1980s | Playboy Enterprises | Bought for approx. £500,000; licence later lost |
| 1990 - 2006 | Rank Group / Grosvenor Casinos | Acquired via Mecca Leisure transaction |
| 2006 - 2018 | BIL International / Guoco Leisure | Bought for £31 million; closed in 2018 |
| 2019 - present | Mayfair Casino Ltd / Clermont Leisure (UK) Limited | Acquired for approx. £23 million; refurbished and reopened |
In 2019, Mayfair Casino Ltd, the operator behind Horizons Casino in Leicester Square, purchased Clermont Leisure (UK) Limited for roughly £23 million. Under this new ownership, the building went through a refurbishment programme, keeping the historic features while updating the club as a luxury private members’ casino. The UK Gambling Commission public register still lists “The Clermont Club” as an active trading name of Clermont Leisure (UK) Limited, with the head office connected to Mayfair Casino Ltd at 20 North Audley Street, London W1K 6WE.
The townhouse itself has served as a private club since around 1950. As one of the few remaining domestic buildings clearly showing William Kent’s style, it adds a layer of heritage that you feel throughout. Visiting The Clermont Club is not just about gaming; the setting is part of the appeal.
