Hippodrome Casino Co-Founder Jimmy Thomas dies at 88

Gaming industry icon James ‘Jimmy’ Thomas has passed away, aged 88

Gaming manufacture ikon James IV ‘Jimmy’ Norman Mattoon Thomas has passed away, senior 88.

The President and Co-Founder of London’s Hippodrome Casino died inward his catch some Z's on Saturday morn after a myopic illness.

Born inwards Loughborough inwards 1934, Norman Thomas hailed from a family line that had, for VII generations, been involved in Britain’s leisure time and gaming sectors.

The industry open up opened his for the first time cassino inward 1956 at the Hurst Hotel in Quorn, Leicestershire, followed by others in Nottingham and Derby.

And less than a decennium after gap his first off casino, Saint Thomas launched the La Ronde Casino & Cabaret Club inward his hometown, a locale that played legion to some of the most famous entertainers of the 1960s and 70s.

But the entrepreneur’s most well-known embark wouldn’t come up until almost half a century later. Alongside his son, Simon, St. Thomas opened the Hippodrome Casino inward London’s Leicester Square in 2012.

The holding has, for 122 years, occupied the corner of London’s Cranbourn Street and Charing Cross Road, and through Thomas’ investment, continues to unrecorded on as an iconic landmark.

For his work, doubting Thomas was honoured past the Casino Association with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013, and was the foremost living mortal to live honoured on the BACTA Wall of Fame.

In addition, Saint Thomas received another Lifetime Achievement honour at the British Casino Awards in 2019.

He leaves in arrears his son, Simon, and two daughters, Lisa and Carla, from his first of all wife, Alma, who passed off inward 2008, as intimately as another son, Jordan, from his second marriage, vii grandchildren and threesome step grandchildren.

Simon Thomas, Executive Chairman of the Hippodrome, said: “My male parent achieved enough for several lifetimes and was respected the domain o'er for his business leading and pioneering vision.

“I had the privilege of his advice and guidance non only as a business organisation partner but as a son. He was i of a kind, and will be greatly missed past his family, many friends and staff members.”

Jimmy Lowell Jackson Thomas testament also follow sorely missed past all of us at Gambling Insider and we direct our condolences to everyone at the Hippodrome.