Middlesbrough Mayor Pledges Cautious Approach To Casino Bid

Middlesbrough's bid to win a multi-million pound UK casino development is being moved forward with an element of caution, according to Middlesbrough's Mayor, Ray Mallon.

The Mayor has made it clear that he will be looking for safeguards if the casino project is allowed to proceed, including the possibility of creating a local watchdog to protect vulnerable people.

Peter Dean, the chairman of the Gambling Commission, has set alarm bells ringing with comments that regional casinos "are not such a very big deal".

In a national newspaper, he is reported as saying he had a "liberal" attitude to gambling.

He said: "There should not be proportionately more problem gamblers following an increased access to gambling. Although it's a very desirable objective to reduce the number of problem gamblers, which we will do, as a realistic expectation what one should be aiming to do is certainly not exceed a proportionate increase."