Genting Casino Cromwell Road United Kingdom Casino Review

What the Venue Actually Looks Like

I went to Genting Casino Cromwell Road twice, both times on weekday evenings, and the first impression is how compact the place feels. Not cramped, just smaller than you might expect if you are used to the big central London casino floors. The full address is 43-45 Cromwell Road, South Kensington, London SW7 2EF, right in one of the more affluent parts of the city. The Natural History Museum is close by, literally a short walk.

South Kensington tube is around four or five minutes on foot if you walk at a normal pace. For London, that really is convenient, especially late at night when you just want to get home without drama.

The casino operates under Genting Casinos UK Limited and appears on the UK Gambling Commission public register as a licensed premises. The local licensing authority is the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. That regulatory base matters to me - it is genuinely the first thing I look at before I walk into any new casino.

On Genting’s own site, opening hours are listed as 12:00 pm until 5:00 am every day, with live tables starting from 2:00 pm. A few older directories still say it is open 24 hours, but that looks like legacy info that never got updated. When I arrived at around 8:00 pm on a Tuesday, everything was running, dealers were in place and the floor was active without any delay.

I still suggest phoning ahead to double-check the hours, because third-party sites are rarely synchronised and can sit with stale data for years. That applies to pretty much every London casino, not just this one.

Table Games, Poker and What’s on the Floor

On the gaming floor you get the familiar Genting mix. During both of my visits I saw American Roulette, Blackjack and Punto Banco tables running. The layout is tight and focused rather than a big sprawl. You are always close to the tables, which some people like, but on very quiet nights it can feel a bit bare. That is just what happens in a smaller room.

The poker room is a separate space and, to me, it is the main reason to bother coming here. Cash games start from around 7:00 pm each night and usually go on until closing. On my first visit, by about 9:00 pm there were two cash tables active, which is decent for a midweek evening in London. A lot of smaller venues would kill for that level of action on a Tuesday.

In poker directories, the venue is often listed as “Genting Casino Cromwell Mint” - I will come back to that confusing naming in the next section. There are also slot machines on the floor, and Genting has held Slots Parties at this site. The slots area feels more like a side feature than the main draw, but it fills the gaps if you want something to do between hands at the tables.

If you are heading there specifically to play poker, this is roughly how it works when you arrive:

1. Find the poker room entrance. It is signposted and slightly separated from the main gaming floor.
2. Check the evening schedule at reception - cash games from about 7:00 pm is the usual pattern.
3. Put your name down with the poker host if there is already a waiting list building.
4. Ask about the buy-in range before you sit, since limits shift a bit from session to session.
5. Have valid photo ID ready if they request it, as UK rules require age checks for all casino players.

The Naming History - Cromwell Mint, Forty Five Kensington and the Rest

This place has had a small identity crisis over the years. The current branding uses Genting Casino Cromwell Road, but that was not always the label. On TripAdvisor, it is described as “formerly Forty Five Kensington,” while at least one casino directory flips it and claims Forty Five Kensington was previously known as Genting Casino Cromwell. Both are pointing at the same building.

There is also a site at fortyfivekensington.co.uk linked to the same address, though its present state is a bit vague. To add to the mix, the title “Genting Casino Cromwell Mint” is still widely used across specialist poker and casino directories, including World Casino Directory and Global Casino Guide.

In practice, “Cromwell Road” and “Cromwell Mint” both refer to the same premises at the same address with the same Genting operator behind it. That dual naming absolutely does create confusion when searching online. You can end up wondering if there are two casinos next door to each other, but the contact details are identical, which gives the game away.

For anything practical, like booking, checking hours or asking about poker, rely on the contact data in the first table. The Genting official page at gentingcasinos.co.uk/casinos/genting-casino-cromwell-road/ is the only source I would trust for current times and event details. Third-party sites are fine for getting a rough feel, not for planning something time-sensitive.

What I Actually Thought - Strengths and Weaknesses

After two evenings there and a bit of digging through customer reviews, I ended up with a fairly mixed but not hopeless impression.

On the positive side, the location really works. Being near South Kensington station, with a straight walk along Cromwell Road, makes the journey simple even if you are not local. The area is well-lit, feels safe late in the evening, and I never felt rushed or uncomfortable coming or going.

Reception staff did their bit properly during both of my visits. Entry was quick, no hard sell, no awkward questions. I walked in, showed ID, and I was on the floor in a couple of minutes. The poker room having actual cash games running midweek is a key plus - it is frustrating turning up to a “poker venue” and finding no tables open, and that did not happen here. Bar service also did what it should. I could get a drink between sessions without a long wait or confusion over payment.

Now the weaker side. The gaming floor is small and, when it is quiet, the atmosphere can sag quite badly. On a slow night it almost feels like the air has gone out of the room. That matches a chunk of the TripAdvisor feedback, where some guests call the place “poor, empty and soulless.” Reading between the lines, most of those complaints sound like off-peak visits rather than a permanent issue, but it still means timing your trip matters.

The muddle over branding - Cromwell Road vs Cromwell Mint vs Forty Five Kensington - is another low-level annoyance. It is not a deal breaker, but if you are trying to verify hours or poker times, having three names in circulation does not help.

On top of that, opening hours listed across different directories regularly clash with what Genting shows on its own site. For me, that makes it mandatory to confirm directly with the casino before you set off.

How to Plan a Visit

Reaching the casino is simple enough. Take the District, Circle or Piccadilly line to South Kensington station, come out towards Cromwell Road, then walk east for roughly four minutes. You are basically heading along the main road until you see the entrance.

Bring photo ID with you - a passport or UK driving licence is standard, and UK casinos are quite strict about age checks. No ID can mean no entry, even if you plainly look over 18.

Once you get to reception, you may need to complete a short registration or membership step. It is straightforward, just factor in a few minutes. After that, it helps to decide where you are going first, because the main floor and poker room run on slightly different rhythms. Poker typically wakes up around 7:00 pm, while the table games on the main floor will already be running in the afternoon.

There is a bar and a restaurant on site, available during casino hours. For casual use you do not seem to need a separate booking, at least I did not, though I would always call ahead for a larger group or late-night food.

If you want to double-check anything before you travel, you can email [email protected] or call +44 20 7589 4041. For complaints after a visit, Genting’s team has been replying to TripAdvisor comments and pointing people to named staff members for follow-up, which at least indicates that complaints are not van straight into a black hole.

Verdict

Genting Casino Cromwell Road is a fully regulated casino in a very convenient London location. It fits players who prefer a compact, traditional set-up with table games and a functioning poker room rather than a huge resort-style destination. The South Kensington setting is a real advantage, and the regulatory status through the UK Gambling Commission and local authority feels solid.

The main thing that can let it down is the atmosphere on a very quiet night. This place works far better when there is a bit of a crowd on the floor and some noise around the tables. I would not put it on a must-see list for visitors, but as a spot for a midweek poker session, or a few hours at the tables after dinner in Kensington, it does the job without any major red flags.

Just make sure you check the opening hours directly with the casino before you head over.