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US-based casino operator Wynn Resorts has announced it will acquire the boutique casino Crown London, also known as Aspinalls, from Crown Resorts to help feed customers to its future resort in the United Arab Emirates.
Wynn said in a statement on Friday (January 10) that it will take over the members-only Mayfair property in the second half of this year after receiving regulatory approval. The company did not comment on the purchase price.
CEO Craig Billings was upfront on the property serving as a client nexus for Wynn’s next major project.
“This acquisition of an iconic asset offers us a presence in a global gateway city and will create a conduit for Wynn guests to visit our resorts, particularly Wynn Al Marjan Island, which is slated to open in the first quarter of 2027 in Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE,” he said.
Wynn’s acquisition will give it a foothold on three continents for the first time.
Crown Resorts acquired the then-titled Aspinalls Club in 2011 from Aspinalls Group. As with Wynn, the purchase was designed to boost the company’s global VIP gambling volume.
Crown Resorts was once an equal partner in former Melco Crown properties in Macau and had ambitions for properties in Las Vegas and Sri Lanka. But years of severe regulatory and legal problems in Australia and China, pandemic damage and Chinese government threats to VIP customers took their toll, and the company was sold to US-based Blackstone Group.
With the sale of Crown London, Crown Resorts’ gambling assets will now be limited to three states in Australia.
Negotiations for a Wynn takeover of Crown Resorts collapsed in 2019 after Wynn executives reacted angrily to details of talks being leaked to reporters.
