Former staff at Aspers Casino in Northampton speak out about 'DEVASTATING' impact of two new owners

Aspers Casino, which had operated in the town for 18 years, closed its doors for the final time in October 2024. A source at the company said the decision was made to refocus operations on its remaining venues elsewhere.

The site was acquired in November by Dominic Farhad Rossookh, who registered the business under a new name, N Casino Ltd, according to Companies House.

One former employee told the Chronicle & Echo: “Dominic came in and gave a big speech, he wanted to turn it into a poker room, made it all sound wonderful, that we’d all still have our jobs and everything would be fine. I felt uncomfortable, I told everybody I didn’t think it was going to work out. We all felt like that but we wanted to give him a chance. He then sold it five weeks in, on December 8. We were called in and told it was sold again."

The business was sold to a firm called 1st and Last Gaming Events.

The former employee said they were also unsure about the future when the new owners took over. They said there was a dispute with the new owners over a gaming licence and staff refused to deal games.

“It was awful but I wanted to ride it out, like most of us, because some of us had been there 14/15 years. I’d been there nine years. We tried to do what we could to keep it running and keep customers but it didn’t work out.”

For the long-serving staff member, the emotional strain of the ordeal, which saw the site close at the end of the year, was too much.

They said: “Mentally, it really threw me through a loop like it did all of us. We’ve not got over it. We were like a family, we’d all been there so long. It was like getting your home torn out from underneath you. It was devastating. Some people didn’t know what to do because they were so bonded to that place, including myself. It was very hard. I’ve worked there nine years and it was amazing until those last two months.”

The worker added that the building has been gutted since it closed.

A spokesman for 1st and Last Gaming Events, said: “In December, all the staff walked out. I was planning on keeping all staff. I had taken over and had big plans. I will be reopening the venue later in the year.”

In response to questions from the Chronicle & Echo, Dominic Farhad Rossookh said: “I will say it wasn't sold to be stripped. 1st and Last intentions were to trade.”

Frustration also extended to how Aspers Casino handled the original sale and that staff were not given any redundancy payments.

The worker said: “We were angry with Aspers the way they sold it. They’ve closed the one in Milton Keynes – they went into administration, brought administrators in and tried to find another buyer. They’ve paid everyone who’s worked there over two years redundancy pay. They’ve done everything correct. It’s devastating.”

Joint Administrator who has taken over Aspers, Andrew Johnson said: “Since 1997, Aspers has been a market-leading casino operator and the first to have been awarded a large casino license in the UK. However, the business was materially impacted by Covid, and, following a shift in customer habits, has struggled to return to pre-Covid trading levels, resulting in the need for ongoing stakeholder support, which has been exacerbated by underperforming units. Over the past few months, the directors and key stakeholders have worked to try and safeguard the future of the business.

“On appointment, the joint administrators successfully completed a sale of the shares in the entities that operated the Casino in Westfield, Stratford to Genting Casinos UK Limited (“Genting”). The Casino in Stratford continues to trade as usual.

“Regrettably, it has not been possible to achieve a sale of Aspers (Milton Keynes) Limited (which traded as the Casino MK), and whilst the joint administrators will continue to explore options in respect of the Casino MK, given the ongoing funding and licensing requirements, the Casino MK has ceased trading with immediate effect.”

Food and events services – once a point of pride for the venue – also quickly deteriorated, according to the former employees, when the companies attempted to honour the six Christmas parties booked at the venue, including one for Northampton Town Football Club.

The worker said: “They were bringing in food from Morrisons. Some parties were cancelled on the day and I don’t think they ever got their money back. It was horrendous. On the last Christmas party we decided to all call in sick and let them deal with it. We were too stressed.”

Another employee, who managed food and drink, claims she was sacked because of the dispute over gaming licences.

On the decline of Christmas parties, the worker added: “I was never so embarrassed as when we had to watch the plates go out to customers. It broke my heart. It was so badly organised.

“All together the Christmas parties totalled about £30,000. The last one was cancelled completely and we aren’t sure if they were refunded. All the others went ahead but at a much lower level of quality for food and drinks.”

A group of former employees are now pursuing legal action through an employment tribunal to claim redundancy pay, which they say they have not received. One ex-staff member said some individuals could be owed up to £20,000.