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UK
Casino Times
> Casino
Articles
29 January 2007
Super Casino Contenders Face
Decision Time
Seven British cities
will find out tomorrow which of them has been successful in
being awarded the right to build the country's first 'super
casino'.
UPDATE: Britain's
First Super Casino Awarded To Manchester
Originally the government
said there would be up to 40 super Casinos
but this number was cut - first to eight and then to just
one - in the face of heavy opposition.
The super casino will have
a minimum customer area of 5,000 square metres and up to
1,250 unlimited-jackpot slot machines.
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Blackpool
Seen as one of the
frontrunners, Blackpool
Council officials say a super casino would give the seaside
town a vital economic boost and provide funds for the
regeneration of the famous promenade and tram
network.
The town has the fourth
highest level of unemployment and some of the most deprived
communities in the UK.
A super casino could
attract up to 3,400 new jobs to the area, raise some
£450m of capital investment and generate £96.4m
per year for the region, Councillors suggest.
The proposed complex would
incorporate a 24-hour casino with 70 gaming tables and 2,500
slot machines and a 500-room hotel to accommodate
visitors.
Polls show a high level of
local support. Some 75% of the population are behind the
plan according to SWR and Ipsos/Mori polls, while an online
survey by local media gave a 91% approval rate.
The Campaign Against super
casino Expansion (Case) - a coalition of local and national
organisations organised by Blackpool Councillor Steven Bate
- oppose the scheme however.
They warn that opening a
super casino in the midst of a deprived area where people
are already more likely to be problem gamblers will deepen
existing social problems.
Cardiff
Cardiff's
super casino bid is linked to the city's plan for an 80-acre
international sports village project located in the bay
area.
The city Council says that
the casino itself would create 1,500 jobs out of an
estimated 5,000 for the combined projects.
It says the casino is
needed to ensure that the project completed in time for the
2012 London Olympics, when it hopes to be a host
venue.
According to Council
estimates, the combined complex will generate some
£265m for the local economy.
Opposition group Case
argues that it is not clear how the regeneration of sports
village area will translate into improvements for other
parts of the city.
Glasgow
There are four proposed
sites for Glasgow's
super casino:
- An area of former
shipyards and warehouses on the River Clyde where a
£250m development could be built.
- The Scottish
Exhibition and Conference Centre [SECC] where a
£162 million complex could be sited.
- Ibrox stadium, home of
Rangers Football Club, which has been earmarked by the
club and the Las Vegas Sands group for a £120
million development.
- St Enoch's East, a
central site where a £130 million casino may be
built close to the city's main shopping
districts.
When the advisory
committee met in Glasgow, Major Ivor Telfor of the Salvation
Army expressed concern that a casino's presence would
contribute to the normalisation of gambling among young
people.
He called for the award to
go to the local authority which could demonstrate social
responsibility.
More significantly though,
a report from the Scottish Executive backed away from
backing the bid and said it was up to Councils to decide the
pros and cons. Ministers were criticised for sitting on the
fence.
Greenwich,
London
This bid would site a
super casino at the O2 - formerly the Millennium Dome - on
the banks of the River Thames in south east London.
Greenwich Council say the proposal forms a key part of plans
to regenerate the area.
The site lies at the heart
of the Thames Gateway, Europe's largest regeneration
programme. An extra 120,000 homes are planned for the area
by 2016.
While some parts of
Greenwich are prosperous, the borough also suffers from high
levels of deprivation and above-average unemployment. Super
casino opponents say Greenwich Council has not consulted
local residents sufficiently.
Opposition group Case says
that the level of detail presented about the application at
two public meetings last year demonstrated that a great deal
of planning and preparation had already taken place without
any input from the consultation process.
Manchester
Manchester
would appoint an independent community trust to oversee its
super casino's workings and promises the "highest standards
of social responsibility".
The proposed site is a
run-down area of east Manchester, which would see a
£265m investment and create 2,700 direct and indirect
jobs.
The complex would also
house an entertainment arena, a swimming pool, an urban
sports venue, restaurants, bars, a nightclub and a
hotel.
Opponents say the casino
is likely to increase levels of problem gambling in an
already deprived area.
Newcastle
Newcastle's
proposed super casino would form part of a large conference
centre which local officials say is critical to the future
development of the local economy.
Thousands of jobs would be
created by the £143m scheme.
Newcastle City Council
leader John Shipley said: "We have always made it clear that
a regional conference centre would be an essential and
integral part of any casino development that would bring
huge economic benefits to the city region."
The centre would also host
major scientific conferences linked to the Science City
project.
Opposition to the plan
focuses on fears that the likely siting of the super casino
near the city centre will have an adverse effect on local
retailers.
Sheffield
A super casino could
create 14,000 jobs over the next 20 years and generate some
£213m in revenue in an area "ripe for regeneration"
according to Sheffield
City Council chief executive Sir Bob Kerslake.
Rival developers are
eyeing three potential sites for the project, should
Sheffield win.
Two are in the Lower Don
Valley - one near to the Meadowhall shopping complex, the
other close to the Don Valley athletics stadium - while the
third is next to Sheffield United's Bramall Lane
stadium.
Local opposition has
focused on problem-gambling issues and potential traffic
congestion on nearby the M1 junction.
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