LONDON-The British Culture Secretary has shortlisted eight sites and cities to host Britain's only super-casino. The sites are Wembley and the Millennium Dome and the cities are Blackpool, Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffied. The Gambling Act originally allowed for up to eight super-casinos but strong opposition from the Conservative Party and anti-gambling lobby groups meant the government had to restrict the number to one.
The prospect of a partial relaxation of the gambling rules has attracted global players like MGM, Las Vegas Sands, Caesars and Kerzner. In Newcastle, MGM has linked up with the football club when it chose to sell land around St James' metro station to propose a mix of residential, hotel and leisure next to a 100,000-sf casino.
Las Vegas Sands has also sought to link up with football clubs and held talks with Birmingham City, Glasgow Rangers and Sheffield United. The clubs are keen to see better use of sizeable land holdings around the football stadiums.
The Manchester bid proposes to locate 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. The government's advisory panel is expected to make its final recommendation before the end of the year.
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