HOW TO HIRE · EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT

How to hire casino tables in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

Fun casino tables need no licence, but gambling law limits real-money play. The checks, the questions and the written quote are set out below.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring casino tables in five steps

  1. Fun money onlyNo real stakes and no charge to play — confirm it with the casino table firm.
  2. Count tables and croupiersOne croupier per table, matched to guest numbers.
  3. Check spaceRoom around each table for players.
  4. Agree prizes carefullyPrizes for a charity night follow their own rules; ask before promising any.
  5. Fix session timesAnd the cost of extra time.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No licence or register applies to casino table hire firms in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, and no qualification is required by law. Fun money, no real stakes and no charge to play keep a party on the right side of gambling law.

Before any deposit, ask for two recent hosts you can contact and for the casino tables booking terms in writing.

Gambling law and fun money

The Gambling Commission's guidance under the Gambling Act 2005 says organising a commercial casino night outside a licensed casino is illegal. Private gaming must be somewhere the public cannot get in, with no entrance fee or charge to play and nothing taken from stakes or prizes. A fun-money night, with no real stakes, avoids those questions.

Confirm in writing with the casino table firm that guests play with fun money only and pay nothing to play. gamblingcommission.gov.uk →

Public liability insurance for the casino tables

The law does not make public liability cover compulsory for this kind of booking, yet most venues write a minimum into their supplier rules. Hotels and corporate venues usually ask the casino table firm for it.

Get the venue's minimum in writing and match it against the casino tables's current certificate.

Trader status and cancellation terms

Hiring casino tables from a business means dealing with a trader, and under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 the work must be done with reasonable care and skill. The usual 14-day right to cancel a distance or doorstep contract rarely helps here, because regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 leaves out leisure and catering services tied to a particular date; the casino tables's terms are what count.

Check, in writing, how much of the casino tables's deposit is refundable and by what date. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

Fun casino tables with croupiers are standard-rated at 20%. Casino table hire firms with more than £90,000 of taxable turnover must register for VAT, charge it, and itemise it on every quote and invoice.

Ask the casino hire firm for its VAT number and check VAT is shown under the tables and croupier hours. gov.uk →

“Will guests play with fun money only?”

A good answer: Yes, from a casino table firm that knows the gambling rules.

“How many tables and croupiers for our guests?”

A good answer: A number matched to the guest count, with a croupier per table.

“Are your croupiers trained to teach beginners?”

A good answer: Yes — the casino tables are about fun, so croupiers explain the games.

“How much space does each table need?”

A good answer: Dimensions, with room for players around it.

“Can we give prizes?”

A good answer: A careful answer: for a charity night, the Gambling Commission's rules on prize gaming apply.

“Is the casino table firm insured?”

A good answer: Public liability cover named.

“How long is a session?”

A good answer: Usually around two hours, with extra time priced.

Getting the quote right

  • Number and type of casino tables
  • Croupiers and session length
  • Fun money and any theming
  • Delivery, set-up and collection
  • Deposit and cancellation terms
  • The casino firm's VAT number, with 20% shown under tables, croupiers and delivery
  • Who actually attends as croupiers, and whether they are employed or subcontracted

Walk away if

  • Suggests real-money stakes or charging guests to play
  • No croupier for a table
  • No insurance certificate
  • Vague on prizes for a charity night
LOW
£250
TYPICAL
£400
HIGH
£600

What casino tables costs: £250–£600 per event

Casino table hire is priced per event by the number of tables and croupiers and the session length, with theming and travel added. Casino Table Hire price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Casino table hire firms near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. Set upThe casino table firm sets tables with space around each.
  2. Hand out fun moneyGuests receive fun money; nothing is paid to play.
  3. Teach and playCroupiers explain the games and deal.
  4. CloseSession ends; a winner may be named for fun.
  5. Pack downTables cleared and removed.

Croupier
The dealer who runs a casino table.
Fun money
Play money with no cash value.
Private gaming
Gaming in a place the public cannot enter, with no charge to play.
Equal chance gaming
Games where players compete against each other, not a bank.
Gambling Commission
The regulator of gambling in Great Britain.
Session
The time the tables are open, often around two hours.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the bookingTables, croupiers and session times agreed with the casino table firm.
Check the venueDamage raised promptly.
Note the sessionStart and finish against what was booked.
Leave the reviewTell the next host how the casino table firm did; Locufy reviews come only from real bookings. If something went wrong, the make-it-right step comes first: the casino table firm is asked to put it right before the review goes live.

STEP 1Put it to the casino tables in writingPut the problem — tables without croupiers, a short session, a late set-up — to the casino tables in an email, with dates and what you are asking for. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 treats every service contract as promising reasonable care and skill (section 49), and section 56 lets you ask for an appropriate reduction where a repeat is impossible.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyRate the casino tables below four stars and you are asked whether to send the problem to them first; we follow it through, then your review is published.
STEP 3Trading Standards, through the helplinesThere is no ombudsman or regulator for casino table hire firms. If the trader will not engage, Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133) covers England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060) covers Scotland, and Consumerline (0300 123 6262) covers Northern Ireland; each can pass a complaint about casino table hire firms to Trading Standards.
STEP 4Money the casino tables will not returnMoney still owed by the casino tables can be claimed through the small-claims routes: up to £10,000 on the small claims track in England and Wales, up to £5,000 under simple procedure in the sheriff court in Scotland, and up to £5,000 in the small claims court in Northern Ireland.

Hiring casino tables: questions people ask

For a fun-money party where nobody pays to play, the Gambling Commission's guidance points to private gaming, which needs no licence if it meets the conditions. A commercial casino night outside a licensed casino is illegal under the Gambling Act 2005.

Not by law. Venues usually insist on it, so get their figure and then a copy of the certificate for the casino tables.

£250 to £600 per event, typically around £400. The casino table hire price guide shows what pushes a quote up or down; enter your town above to see casino table hire firms near you.

Not at a hired casino night: commercial casino nights outside a licensed casino are illegal, and private gaming bars any charge to play. Use fun money.

Charity casino nights have their own rules in the Gambling Commission's guidance. Check them before planning one.

Ask the firm to match tables to guests, so nobody waits long to play.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in events & entertainment

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Casino table hire firms near you

Casino table hire firms in LondonCasino table hire firms in ManchesterCasino table hire firms in BirminghamCasino table hire firms in GlasgowCasino table hire firms in BelfastAll casino table hire firms on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Gambling Commission — guidance to licensing authorities: casino nights
  2. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts the cancellation right does not cover
  3. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  4. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  5. mygov.scot — make a court claim for money
  6. nidirect — small claims process
  7. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  8. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  9. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register