An amendment to the bill is likely to result in a pilot schemethat sees up to 10 regional casinos permitted in the first threeyears of the new legislation. But the gaming industry fears thatthe actual number may be as low as four.

"In the government's own estimates, up to £5 billion could beinvested and 80,000 jobs created if the market in the UK isliberalized," says Lloyd Nathan, the managing director of Europefor MGM Mirage, among the the world's largest gaming groups. "A capwould significantly impact those figures."

Peter Byrne, executive director of Sun International, warns thata statutory cap would defeat the government's aim to limit problemgambling. This, he says, would be because smaller casinos wouldspring up "on every high street" following the changes tolegislation. "Our concern is that if there is going to be a cap, weare going to get proliferation. A raft of small and medium-sizedcasinos will spring up everywhere. That would be the opposite ofwhat the government is trying to do."