UK: NEW CASINOS ANNOUNCED

By Harris Hagan

At last there has been a development in relation to the new casinos promised by the Gambling Act 2005 (“the 2005 Act”), passed almost three years ago. Many will recall that the original excitement associated with the advisory body appointed to select the areas for the eight small, eight large and one regional, or so called “super”, casinos, quickly faded to apathy and then towards despair when the Government had another of its (all too frequent in this process) collective nervous breakdowns over gambling policy or perhaps the lack of one.

The problem was that the Committee did not follow the political script and chose Manchester instead of Blackpool for the regional casino, a selection which was probably justified on the facts, but was out of step with the views of the less well informed press, and most members of Parliament. The consequence was that when the requisite Order for the 17 new casinos under the 2005 Act was put to Parliament in March 2007, the House of Lords rejected it, not least because it included the regional casino to be located in Blackpool.

[ DOWNLOAD FULL ARTICLE ]