🎲 Clacton Pier Company Limited

This company is a licensed gambling operator in Great Britain, holding an operating licence from the Gambling Commission and recorded as having an active regulatory status. It conducts gambling activities as part of the wider leisure and amusement offering at Clacton Pier, a seaside entertainment complex in Clacton-on-Sea, England. The company is associated with the ownership and operation of the pier, which has functioned as an amusement and entertainment site since the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The corporate vehicle was incorporated in the United Kingdom under the name The Clacton Pier Company Limited. Public records indicate that the pier itself opened in 1871 and has passed through multiple owners and operating companies over time. In the early 20th century, facilities on the pier expanded to include amusement halls and theatres, including an amusement hall known as the Crystal Casino in the 1920s. Ownership of the pier and its associated businesses changed several times during the 20th century, including periods under E & M Harrison Ltd and Anglo-Australian Automatics, and later a consortium led by Francis McGinty around 1981.

The present operating company took control of the pier in the 21st century following a financial acquisition by two brothers who became the owners of the business. Available information indicates this change of ownership occurred approximately a decade before the mid‑2020s. Under this ownership, the company has continued to develop the pier as a mixed-use leisure venue incorporating rides, amusements, bars, restaurants and other attractions. In 2023, industry sources reported the appointment of Karl Zabroski as Commercial Manager, bringing prior experience from managing Rollerworld in Colchester, with responsibilities including the development of entertainment and gaming activities on the pier.

Licensing and Operations

The company holds an operating licence issued by the Gambling Commission of Great Britain. This licence authorises it to offer specified forms of regulated gambling in Great Britain, in line with the licence activities listed on the Gambling Commission’s public register. The licence covers non-remote operations connected to the pier’s land-based gambling and amusement offering.

The Gambling Commission categorises licences by activity (such as arcades, betting, bingo, casino, gaming machines or lotteries). According to the public register entry for this operator, it holds an operating licence that permits it to provide gambling facilities on-site at the pier, within the categories specified on its licence. The licence is recorded as active, indicating that, as of the latest information on the public register, the company remains authorised to carry on the licensed activities, subject to compliance with the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice.

There is no publicly available indication on the register that the company holds remote (online) gambling licences; its authorisation relates to land-based operations. No licence surrender or revocation is recorded, and no change of corporate name affecting the Gambling Commission entry is noted.

Regulatory History

The Gambling Commission has taken regulatory action against this licensee. According to a published regulatory statement, following an investigation conducted outside a formal licence review, the Commission found that the company had breached certain regulatory requirements. The investigation resulted in a sanction being imposed by the Commission.

The regulatory action is recorded on the Commission’s public register of regulatory decisions. The published notice sets out the nature of the breaches and the outcome, which included formal sanctions under the Gambling Act 2005 framework. The licence itself remained in force following this action, and the operator continues to be listed as active on the public register.