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UK
Casino Times
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News
05 January 2006
Super Casino Plans 'Will Lead To
More Addicts'
The
head of a Birmingham-based gaming watchdog has broken with
official Government policy by stating that super
casinos are likely
to lead to an increase in gambling addiction.
Peter Dean, the chairman
of the Gambling
Commission,
appeared to contradict Ministerial assurances that vast
American-style gaming centres could be introduced in Britain
without harmful effects.
His comments are bound to
raise questions about remarks by Culture Secretary
Tessa
Jowell, who last
year assured MPs that the gaming industry would "operate in
awe of the Gambling Commission".
Mrs Jowell convinced a
sceptical House of Commons to pass the Gambling Bill, which
permits slot machines offering £1 million prizes, by
insisting that measures would be taken to make sure that
super casinos did not create more gambling
addicts.
Mr Dean told a national
newspaper that he took a liberal attitude to gambling and
that £1 million slot machines were "no big deal." It
was unrealistic to expect the Gambling Commission to reverse
the trend of problem gamblers - estimated at 300,000 addicts
across Britain, he said.
Mr Dean added: "We should
not regulate onerously for the sake of being butch. I think
that is absolutely unnecessary and
inappropriate."
There would be a
proportionate increase in gambling addiction following the
introduction of super casinos, Mr Dean admitted. MPs opposed
to the liberalisation of gambling were guilty of party
politics, he believed.
Mr Dean's remarks could
cause fresh problems at Birmingham City Council, where
members have agreed in principle to lobby the Government for
a super casino licence.
However, a substantial
minority remain opposed to super casinos which they fear
will lead to more gambling problems.
Related pages:
The
Future Of Gambling - Rise Of The Super Casino
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