Image: More than £40m has been spent on the project

London's former Hippodrome Theatre is to reopen as a casino this month (July), following a major transformation led by father and son team Jimmy and Simon Thomas.

More than £40m has been invested in creating the new Hippodrome Casino gaming and entertainment venue - housed in the theatre and adjacent Cranbourn Mansions in Leicester Square.

The casino will offer three floors of gaming; a 180-seat cabaret theatre called The Matcham Room; the 150-cover Heliot restaurant; four private dining rooms; and five bars.

Work started on stripping out the theatre in April 2009, before shell construction work got underway in January 2010. Cadmium Architects and Designers are behind the scheme.

Cadmium managing director Paula Reason said: "In planning out the space, we found that there were many more opportunities – rather than problems – thanks to the complexity of the building.

"The sheer number of different areas within the building, on different levels, is what makes this casino unique in the world. It will be truly a voyage of discovery for guests."

The Hippodrome first opened as a circus variety theatre in 1900 with a 100,000 gallon tank featuring polar bears and sea lions. The theatre's original architect was Frank Matcham.

During the 1950s, the venue played host to stars such as Shirley Bassey, Judy Garland and Tom Jones. The building's most recent use was as a circus venue for La Clique, before it closed in 2009.

Details: www.hippodromecasino.com