The Stage

Blackpool’s hopes renewed as Lords reject Manchester super-casino proposal

Published Thursday 29 March 2007 at 12:50 by Alistair Smith

Peers have rejected proposals to site the UK’s first super-casino in Manchester, giving Blackpool a slim hope of resurrecting its plans for a gaming and entertainment complex in the resort.

The House of Lords voted against the government’s Gambling Order, which included proposals for one regional, eight large and eight small casinos, by 123 votes to 120. While the order was passed in the Commons by 274 votes to 250, the government will now have to return with amended proposals if it is to step forward with its plans to radically change the face of UK gaming.

The Lords passed an amendment to the order, which called on the government to convene a Joint Committee to consider the process by which the decision to recommend Manchester was reached. It was proposed that the group should report back by June 1.

Following the Lords’ vote, culture secretary Tessa Jowell commented: “Obviously ministers will want to reflect on the outcome of that vote and to come back to this elected House in due course with proposals for taking this policy forward and ensuring that the important objectives of this legislation are delivered.”

Blackpool lost out to Manchester earlier this year when the Casino Advisory Panel put forward its recommendations for where the UK’s first regional or so-called super-casino should be located. Manchester had been regarded as a rank outsider, while Blackpool and the Millennium Dome had been seen as the favourites for the coveted licence.