Live shows to be ‘central’ to Blackpool mega-casino bids

Published Tuesday 15 August 2006 at 15:05 by Alistair Smith

Operators bidding to launch a super-casino in Blackpool will have to make live entertainment “central” to their pitches if they are to be successful, project organisers have stressed.

A formal planning application has now been submitted to Blackpool council by urban regeneration company ReBlackpool. If the town is successful in its attempt to host the UK’s sole super-casino, the outline proposals will form a guide for international operators when the opportunity to run the site is put out to tender.

Reg Haslam, ReBlackpool development director, told The Stage: “Live entertainment has to be central to the bid. We think there’s a real gap in the market for a high quality entertainment complex, building on the traditions of light entertainment and of burlesque that you associate with a seaside resort and bringing that into the 21st century.”

“We are looking for and seeking to ensure that the casino is at the centre of a live entertainment complex that stretches out into the town. From our perspective, the casino operator that wins the competition [to run the venue] is the operator that brings the most exciting mix of entertainment to that site.”

The initial designs, which have just been unveiled, show up to four areas which could be used for live entertainment - including a 3,000 seat auditorium and a promenade area for street arts. There will also be a 5,000 square metre exhibition area that could function as a performance space and the opportunity for smaller venues as part of a “leisure” section, which will also feature restaurants and bars.

While under gaming law there is a required minimum area devoted to “non-gaming” activities - which can include performance areas - in any new casino, Blackpool is the first potential site for the super casino to insist that live entertainment be a prominent part of any future project.

Blackpool is currently part of a shortlist of eight locations vying to host the UK’s one super-casino. While it had been seen by many as a strong favourite, the Casino Advisory Panel, which will advise the government on where to locate the gaming centre, recently ranked it as third in its preliminary judgements - behind Greenwich and Glasgow.