The Stage

Kerzner gets Northampton casino go ahead

Published Tuesday 6 April 2004 at 10:35 by Ruth Gillespie

Kerzner International Limited, the company behind the proposed $350 million Millennium Dome entertainment development, has been granted a certificate of consent from the Gaming Board of Great Britain for its plans to open a new Las Vegas-style casino in Northampton.

Billionaire Sol Kerzner, who created the Sun City resort in South Africa, last year secured a stake in the £10 million complex and was granted planning permission in April. However, the Gaming Board of Great Britain has been investigating Kerzner and his company since August 2003 to determine if he is “a fit and proper” person to hold a gaming licence in the UK.

Having passed the initial checks for the certificate - which is not tied to any one venue - the Bahamas-based group can now not only begin work on the new development but can proceed with proposals to open a casino and hotel resort in the Millennium Dome site after plans were agreed by Greenwich council last month.

A number of leading American companies, including MGM Mirage and Luminar, have also taken steps to prepare for the government’s intended deregulation of gambling laws, which will allow foreign-owned companies to hold gaming licences.

Butch Kerzner, chief executive of Kerzner International, said: “We continue to look at investment and development opportunities in the anticipated deregulated market to introduce our unique combination of entertainment and destination gaming and are well placed to capitalise on these opportunities.”