Fourth casino may open in Carlow town

A CHINESE restaurant company is applying to Carlow District Court to operate a casino on Tullow Street in Carlow town. The licence hearing will take place on 11 February, according to the public notice placed in this newspaper last week.

The company, SLCZ limited, Shi Lin as company secretary and Zhanglian Chen listed as the director, plans to operate a 45-machine casino between 52-54 Tullow Street. The company’s address is listed as 6 Stanhope Street, Athy, where the Peony Inn Chinese Restaurant owned by SLCZ Ltd currently operates.

If the licence is granted, there will be four casinos operating in the centre of Carlow town.

The same applicants were previously granted permission in November 2023 to turn the basement of 53 and 54 Tullow Street into a casino, subject to 13 conditions. They were further granted permission in October 2023 to turn the ground floor into a food court, with a two-bed residential unit on the first floor. The food court never materialised, but Crystals Chinese Takeaway began trading there in June 2025.

There was also a Stop & Shop Convenience Store, which was issued with a closure order on 8 May 2025 by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.

The building was formerly occupied by the T Street Wine Bar and Bistro until 2018, and before that it was a nightclub called The Temple.

It was listed for sale with a guide price of €795,000 in May 2025 on Daft.ie and appears to have sold for €500,000.