The A & S Leisure Group

However, for a casino owner, it’s these very individuals who are at the forefront of their business: their employees

Mr Max Jackson has been the Director of Health, Safety, Security and HR for The A & S Leisure Group Limited for over 18 years.

Operating five casinos and one Greyhound Stadium, their business territories now span Sheffield, Leeds, Bradford, Hull and London.

With some of their casinos operating 24/7, and others allowing their last levers to be pulled at 7 or 8am, it’s easy to see why the company now employ over 800 members of staff.

Among the gambling facilities within the casinos, the group also operates fully licensed bars and very highly commendable restaurants.

The group’s casino outlets offer a wide choice of the latest gaming facilities including, American Roulette, Blackjack, Three Card Poker and Punto Banco. In addition, their venues boast some of the industry’s most recent slot machines and state-of-the-art electronic gaming equipment.

A & S Leisure acquired the Owlerton Stadium in 1991, and immediately gave it a £3,000,000 refurbishment. This stadium is ranked the third biggest out of the 27 BGBG Greyhound tracks.

Operating on such a large scale, the employment queries and issues which presented themselves to Max over almost two decades have been plentiful, and have encompassed “everything you can imagine.”

For sizable organisations such as The A & S Leisure Group, ensuring the correct working practices and values are bred throughout the business is key, but can be difficult to maintain, especially when operating from separate locations.

Having been heavily involved with HR matters for the business, Max certainly has had a crucial role to play over his years of directorship.

“We have had to deal with disciplinary procedures, grievances, investigations, redundancies, general employment issues, and more,” he recalls.

Fortunately, Croner have been on hand for the entirety of Max’s time at the leisure group to assist with any employment issues.

“We do work very, very closely with Croner,” Max says. “We always have a dedicated consultant, in fact we have four, who, over a period of time, have gained a thorough knowledge of the Casino and Stadium business.

“They have produced our staff handbooks and contracts, and we hold regular meetings with our consultants to discuss changes to legislation and any amendments required.

“If we have a problem on a gaming table where “Joe Bloggs” hasn’t done ‘this’, ‘that’, and ‘the other’, our consultant is aware of what we are talking about, which is a bonus.

“We have been approached by other Employment Consultancies to use their services, but we have a first class relationship with Croner and do not intend to change.”

With some of their sites operating on a 24 hour basis, finding advice in the early hours of the morning could have proved difficult. However, as The A & S Leisure Group utilise Croner Professional, advice is able to mirror their hours.

“The Casinos are able to use Croner’s services 24 hours per day, 7 days a week, and they provide a very reliable service,” Max informs.

HR and employment law demands a lot of precious time from employers, which sometimes companies cannot afford. Allowing Croner to assist with these areas has allowed many businesses including the A & S Leisure Group to give more undivided attention to their key objectives and day-to-day activities as opposed to pouring over documentation or scouring through internet sources for legislation changes.