Eight cities shortlisted for UK's only Super Casino

Blackpool, Brent, Cardiff, Glasgow, Greenwich, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield have been put on the provisional shortlist in the competition to host the UK's first Las Vegas-style super-casino, it was announced today.

The shortlist has been selected from the 27 local councils that applied to host the giant gambling venue and will be whittled down further by the Casino Advisory Panel.

The independent body is due to recommend the one chosen venue to Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell by the end of the year with social and regeneration impacts part of the Panel's consideration.

A total of 1,250 unlimited jackpot slot machines will be available at the new super casino.

A further 31 local authorities, meanwhile, have been shortlisted to host 'large and small' casinos.

They are: Bath & NE Somerset; Bournemouth; Brighton; Canterbury; Chelmsford; Dartford; Dudley; Dumfries  and Galloway; East Lindsey;  Gt Yarmouth; Hastings; Hull; Leeds; Leicester; Luton; Mansfield; Middlesbrough; Milton Keynes; Newham; N E Lincs; Peterborough; Restormel; Scarborough; Sefton; Solihull; Southampton; South Tyneside; Swansea; Thurrock; Torbay;  Wolverhampton.

Chairman of the Panel, Professor Stephen Crow, said: "I know that our decisions will cause disappointment to some, not least to authorities who had looked to their casino proposal as a means of alleviating severe problems of deprivation or even improving social conditions and meeting the need for economic regeneration.

"But the competition has been very strong, and so it is inevitable that some proposals, good enough though they may be in themselves, have to yield before more powerfully justified cases.

"As for those who have successfully accomplished this stage, they have further rigorous examination to undergo before the final decisions are made.

"The provisional shortlists are now to be the subject of consultation before finalisation.

"This will be the occasion for consultees (Regional Planning Bodies, Regional Development Agencies and comparable bodies in Wales and Scotland) to pass to the Panel any further views and for members of the public to express their opinions on the proposals, whether of opposition or support.

"Here the public is reminded that national policy about casinos has already been decided by Parliament.  The help here that the Panel is requesting is for people's views on the broad location of casinos.

"We would ask that any such representations be made to us by 28th June 2006.

"After this consultation, the Panel will further test the strength of selected competing proposals.  This will be done either through the medium of public "round table" conferences based on the method of examination-in-public (EiP) or through the examination and consideration of written representations and other material.

"EiPs are likely to take place from the end of August to the end of September and will be limited to proposals for the regional casino.  Proposals for large and small casinos will be examined on the basis of written evidence."

The Super Casino plans have met stiff opposition from charities and support groups who claim it will lead to an increase in gambling addiction.

Before last year's General Election, Ms Jowell struck a deal with the Tories to save the Gambling Bill by agreeing to scale down plans for eight regional casinos to just one.

Forty-one other local authorities have applied for licences to build smaller ones, but only 16 will be successful under Government plans.

Large venues will be allowed up to 150 machines offering jackpots of up to £4,000, while the smaller versions will be permitted 80.

Ms Jowell has said the large and small casinos should be in a range of locations including seaside resorts, edge of town developments and inner city centres.

There has been mixed reaction to the announcement, as councils all over the country evaluate what today's news means to their area:

MANCHESTER

Manchester's bid, if successful, would see a regional casino at Sportcity, which has transformed parts of east Manchester, still one of the most run-down and deprived areas of the city.

Sportcity was built when Manchester hosted the Commonwealth Games and is now home to the Premiership's Manchester City FC.

A new casino on the same site would also contain an entertainment complex with a range of facilities such as a multi-purpose arena, a swimming pool, an urban sports venue, restaurants, bars, a nightclub and a hotel, under proposals by the city council.

It claims 2,700 direct and indirect jobs will be created in one of the most deprived parts of the country.

Councillor Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council, said: "We have long argued that Manchester in general, and Sportcity in particular, has proved to be a robust location for a regional casino.

"We are delighted that the independent panel has endorsed this assessment and we will continue to work hard to develop our proposals to ensure we put the best possible case forward to secure the pilot."

BLACKPOOL

Blackpool Council leader Roy Fisher said: "We are confident about our case and hoped that we would be shortlisted at what is arguably a key landmark in the process. However we are fully aware of the significant work yet to be carried out.

"There are many hurdles left in the race, and there are a number of strong contenders.

"What we can be sure of, however, is the strength of our argument and the town's optimism for an era of change."

CARDIFF

Cardiff Central Liberal Democrat MP Jenny Willott said being on the shortlist was "very good news" for the Welsh capital.

"Winning the super casino would bring millions into Cardiff's economy, increase tourism, and, most importantly, create several thousand jobs in the city," she said.

"Cardiff's cultural and economic status means we have an excellent case for winning the super casino and bringing its economic benefits to Wales."

She added: "Casinos have costs as well as benefits, and it is very important that we have sufficient safeguards in place to protect vulnerable gamblers.

"But if managed well, this Casino could play a significant part in Cardiff's regeneration."

BIRMINGHAM

The council backing Birmingham NEC's bid for a super-casino said it was deeply shocked the venue had not made it through to the shortlist.

Ted Richards, leader of Solihull Council, said: "I cannot believe this decision, our proposal was such a strong one.

"How can the Casino Advisory Panel overlook the potential of this borough in this way?

"Excellent location, superb road, rail and air links and a potential site that surely cannot be matched anywhere. This defies belief."

Birmingham Chamber of Commerce also expressed disappointment that the UK's second largest city was out of the running.

"The National Exhibition Centre, with its excellent road, rail and air links, should have been a natural choice. We wish the cities still in the race good luck but feel that none of them matched the advantages offered by the NEC," said Jerry Blackett, policy director.

Solihull Council will now continue with its application to have the NEC licensed as a "large casino".

NEWCASTLE

Business and political leaders in Newcastle upon Tyne welcomed the announcement that the city had made the shortlist for a Las Vegas-style super-casino.

Councillor John Shipley, incoming leader of Newcastle City Council, said: "Our driving ambition is the creation of a regional convention centre - the only way to realise this is through the casino route.

"Newcastle-Gateshead has turned down 40 major events with potentially 40,000 delegates because the region did not have a suitable conference venue - that's a loss of £20 million over the last three years.

"A regional convention centre would pull millions of pounds into the local economy every year which would have significant spin-off benefits for hotels, restaurants and cultural attractions."

It also tied in with the drive to make Newcastle one the world's leading science cities.

He added: "Our approach to the whole casino debate has been entirely responsible. We are carrying out more consultation with partners on this issue and conducting research into the social impact of gambling, although it seems that internet gambling is a much more significant problem than casino gambling."

Andrew Dixon, chief executive of the marketing agency Newcastle-Gateshead Initiative, said: "This is really positive news for tourism in Newcastle-Gateshead. We would hope to achieve a dedicated conference centre as a result of any casino development."

He added: "A super-casino and conference centre would also provide a further boost to hotel development and open up new markets for leisure tourism."

Maggie Pavlou, president of the North East Chamber of Commerce, said: "Super-casinos will undoubtedly court controversy from the anti-gambling lobby but we have to face facts - it would be a massive economic boost for the regional economy, it would be a major job creator and another feather in the cap of our tourism attraction."

GLASGOW

Potential sites for a Glasgow super-casino include a project involving Rangers FC near their Ibrox Stadium ground.

Glasgow City Council leader Steven Purcell said there was a strong case for bringing a casino to the city.

"We're in it to win it and I'm delighted that Glasgow remains a strong contender, with a compelling case for bringing the casino to the city," he said.

"Glasgow is one of Europe's most exciting locations and is a great place to visit, live, work and do business," he said.

"A regional casino is much more than just a new leisure investment opportunity for Glasgow, it is a regeneration project which, I believe, will benefit not only this city but all of Scotland.

"This is the reason we are bidding for the regional casino licence and why we believe the case we have made will be hard to overlook."

COVENTRY

Coventry City Council said it was "shocked" by the decision not to include it on the shortlist of super-casino bids.

A casino at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry is currently being built under existing legislation and will open within the next seven to 10 months.

Ken Taylor, leader of Coventry City Council, said: "This news comes as a major shock and disappointment to those involved in the Coventry project, including Coventry City Council, Arena Coventry Ltd, the Allan Edward Higgs Trust and the casino operator itself, Isle of Capri.

"We will be seeking early and comprehensive clarification from the Advisory Panel on the detailed reasons behind their decision, particularly given recent job losses in our area."

Welsh Secretary Peter Hain said of the Cardiff's place on the "super" shortlist: "This news could potentially bring huge benefits to Wales, providing economic regeneration and bringing in hundreds of new jobs.

"There was stiff competition from towns and cities the length and breadth of the country and the fact that proposals for Cardiff and Swansea have been successful is testament to the strength of their bids."

TORBAY

Torbay's unitary council said today that a casino could result in up to 350 new jobs and a big boost to the area's economy.

Mayor Nick Bye said the Bay was was "one step closer to becoming the Monte Carlo of the West Country".

The Restormel district of Cornwall was also on the Panel's shortlist.

In "super" shortlisted Sheffield, leader of the city council Jan Wilson said: "To be shortlisted as a possible location for the regional casino is a vote of confidence in Sheffield.

"We will be carefully watching progress to ensure that Sheffield is well placed to benefit from future developments.

"There is some strong competition on the shortlist and only one will eventually be rewarded.

"We are also aware of the concerns about problem gamblers and have addressed them in our proposal."

BOURNEMOUTH

Bringing a large casino to the seaside resort of Bournemouth, in Dorset, would boost tourism and the economy and would help regeneration, Bournemouth Borough Council said.

Councillor Adrian Fudge, who championed the bid, said: "This is really exciting news. We're quietly confident in our bid as we have the perfect location, being a destination resort for both tourism and conferences and it's the ideal time.

"The regeneration benefits are great. It will be a major new tourist attraction for the area, giving a significant boost to the economy, and attract up to 750,000 visits per year, creating up to 900 jobs."

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