The Stage

Prospective city casino ban raises hopes for Blackpool

Published Wednesday 21 July 2004 at 10:55 by Ruth Gillespie

Blackpool’s hopes of launching its £1 billion initiative to turn the seaside town into Britain’s premier gambling and showbusiness resort were boosted this week when a top parliamentary advisor predicted major city centres will be banned from building Las Vegas-style casinos.

Professor Peter Collins, who advised the committee scrutinising the new gaming bill, said government and MPs now appear to support his recommendation that large scale ‘resort’ casinos with hotel and entertainment facilities be restricted to seaside towns or areas of low population.

Speaking to The Stage before the release of the committee’s final report due this week, Collins - director at the Centre for the Study of Gambling at the University of Salford and chief executive of charity GamCare - said: “Although for many other projects the government wants to revolutionise city centres, it is beginning to look as if that is not sensible in respect of large new casinos.

“This would be more likely to contribute to problem gambling and would be in direct competition with existing entertainment facilities such as theatres and cinemas.”

He agreed that the restrictions were likely to benefit Blackpool’s efforts to secure resort casino status in competition with larger rivals.

“The town is mostly threatened by international companies investing in large casinos located in city centres like Manchester and Liverpool. If they become unviable, then Blackpool’s prospects will improve. Because Blackpool is a resort town it would fit in with recommendations that patrons must make a special journey in order to visit the casino,” said Collins.

The news will be received with relief by supporters of the Blackpool bid, whose prospects of success had receded in recent months. Earlier this year US gaming giant MGM Mirage - one of the world’s two largest gambling firms - rejected the town as a site for its own expansion plans. It opted instead to invest more than £650 million to develop gaming and leisure complexes in Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester and Salford with British developer Peel Holdings Plc.

Bahamas-based Kerzner International also favoured Manchester and Glasgow and struck a deal to build a £189 million casino on the site of London’s Millennium Dome.

Marc Etches, Leisure Parcs’ managing director and board member of the north-west cultural consortium, said: “There is no doubt that as things stand Blackpool is not at the top of the shopping list for international and even national investors when it comes to casinos. The preference is for urban conurbations with millions of customers on the doorstep.

“It is vital for Blackpool to have the opportunity to regenerate itself on the back of destination casinos. This will not only be good for jobs and skills across the board but will benefit the entertainment industry more generally in the UK by creating a focus for a wide range of live entertainment venues in a town with a history of live entertainment.”