Source: http://www.channel4.com/news/content/news-storypage.jsp?id=27099263
The location of Britain’s first supercasino is about to be unveiled with Blackpool, Greenwich and Glasgow leading the field in the multimillion-pound project.
The Casino Advisory Panel (CAP) will recommend sites for the Las Vegas-style venue and for 16 smaller casinos to Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell.
Whichever bidder secures the supercasino will create a venue at least 5,000 square metres large and housing up to 1,250 unlimited jackpot gaming machines.
The Millennium Dome in Greenwich – now called The O2 – was earlier regarded as favourite in the race but Blackpool surged ahead at the eleventh hour. Bookie Paddy Power made the resort its favourite and slashed the odds on it winning to 4/6 at the weekend.
The Institute for Public Policy Research think tank’s Centre for Cities unit said Blackpool should get the supercasino because it would benefit most from the accompanying regeneration.
The other shortlisted cities are Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield and according to the Government’s criteria, the winning bidder must show “clear potential” for regenerating the area.
But critics fear the expansion of casinos and the arrival of unlimited jackpot gaming machines will fuel the nation’s gambling habit.
The Salvation Army and the Methodist Church issued a joint statement calling on the Government to ensure the impact of more casinos was strictly monitored and assessed.
Anthea Cox, co-ordinating secretary for Public Life and Social Justice at the Methodist Church, said: “The gambling industry and the Government will benefit most from the huge profits of these increased gambling opportunities.
“We are challenging them to channel substantial resources to help those many thousands, if not millions of people who will experience problems.”
Shortlisted areas for the large and small casinos are as follows: Bath and NE Somerset, Bournemouth, Brighton, Chelmsford, Chesterfield, Dudley, Dumfries and Galloway, East Lindsey, Great Yarmouth, Hastings, Hull, Leeds, Leicester, Luton, Mansfield, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Newham, NE Lincs, Peterborough, Restormel, Scarborough, Sefton, Solihull, Southampton, South Tyneside, Swansea, Torbay and Wolverhampton.
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