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10 August 2005
Every UK Casino Can Host Live
Entertainment
All
casinos built in the UK will in future have the potential to
host live stage entertainment, says one of Britain's leading
experts on gaming law.
John Hagan, partner at
Harris
Hagan solicitors,
rejected claims that the one regional super
casino permitted
by government would be the only site large enough to house
performances. The lawyer, whose firm has advised global
giants Kerzner
International and
MGM
Mirage, insisted
all 17 UK casino sites to be licensed over the next two
years, including those in the new 'small' and 'large' UK
casino category, can opt to do likewise.
"There will be
opportunities for live entertainment in small and large UK
casinos, not just regional ones. Small, large and regional
UK casinos will have a minimum non-gambling area of 250m sq,
500m sq and 1,500m sq respectively. Although this will
include bar and restaurant areas, it does leave scope for
the provision of live entertainment," explained
Hagan.
"Also, the provision of
live entertainment may appeal to the local authorities and
therefore enhance competitors' chances in the contest for
new gaming licences. There are going to be a lot of
considerations in play when applications are made and live
entertainment will be one of those factors."
Under the Gambling Act
2005, passed in April, licences will be granted for one
regional UK casino, eight large casinos and eight small
casinos. The law has also introduced the requirement of an
area devoted to non-gambling activities including
entertainment, an entirely new statutory concept.
In fact, legislation
prohibiting UK casinos from presenting entertainment was
relaxed two years ago. Since then, operators have begun
introducing live shows into their venues. The
Rank
Group, the UK's
second largest operator, regularly schedules performances in
90% of its sites.
At the end of 2003,
Britain's largest casino operator Stanley
Leisure launched
the UK's first cabaret casino in almost 40 years, the Star
City Casino in Birmingham. The complex includes a showroom
holding up to 230 people and hosts an ongoing programme of
variety shows. However, existing casinos are limited by
their size explained Hagan.
"Two years has been a
relatively short amount of time to adapt. A significant
number of casinos are moving into larger premises, where
there is space to offer entertainment. We are gradually
seeing more and more entertainment, where they have space,"
he said.
Gaming consultant Mark
Etches has sounded a note of caution to entertainers hoping
to find employment in the new-style casinos, stressing that
the shows offered by large and small casinos are likely to
be minor-scale and used to create an atmosphere or boost
increased trade on quiet nights.
He added: "The regional
casino will be able to support a substantial entertainment
venue and the other models will be seeking to supply their
customers with live entertainment of a sort. But no one
should expect Las
Vegas-style shows.
I don't think any one should be under the illusion that it
will create an explosion in the entertainment
industry.
"However, a regional
casino in Blackpool would create more added value for the
entertainment sector than any other suggestion I can think
of."
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