Taking a punt on new casinos

MANCHESTER has beaten off the more fancied Blackpool and Greenwich in the race to host the UK's first Las Vegas-style super casino. Scarborough and Leeds are to get smaller casinos too.

Altogether, there will be 17 new gambling houses built across the country.

But where does yesterday's announcement leave York's chances of one day having its own casino? And will the new wave of casinos lead to a surge in gambling addiction and associated problems?

A casino for York?

YORK could still be in the running for a new casino in a few years time - and the city would be an obvious place to have one, a local businessman insisted today.

York did not apply to be among the 17 cities whose new casinos were announced yesterday. If it had, believes Scarborough businessman Don Robinson, who is behind plans to turn the derelict ikon & Diva nightclub at Clifton Moor into a casino, it would have been a shoe-in.

"York used to be all chocolate factories. Now it is Britain's third biggest tourist destination after London and Edinburgh," Mr Robinson said. "It will boom over the next ten to 20 years with ever more tourists coming. It has the racecourse, the shopping malls on the outskirts, the latest leisure facilities and hotels being built. It is an obvious place for a casino."

The next wave of casino licences is likely to be announced within two or three years, Mr Robinson said. "And I think York will be in the forefront then. If the city council had applied for a casino licence this time, I'm sure they would have got one."

The ruling Liberal Democrats in York are famously ambivalent about whether a casino would be good for the city.

They stopped short of passing a "no casino" resolution which would have slammed the door for good on the idea, but applying for a casino licence in this first wave of new casinos was never on the cards.

So might the council reconsider in future?

The council's deputy leader Andrew Waller is, personally, opposed to a casino, but left the door on a future bid cautiously open today.

"I'm sure there will be some members who are hoping for it and there will be others like myself who don't see that," he said.

The next round of applications would not be due for about three years, he said.

"We will have the debate again then."

Labour appears more keen on a casino for York. Scarborough's recently-opened Opera House Casino had definitely been good news for the town, said York Labour councillor Paul Blanchard.

"We would need to take all the facts into full consideration and York residents must have a say in any application," he said.

"But if the local community supports the idea, I think York could benefit greatly from having a casino.

"York is a historic city that relies on tourism. A casino would create jobs and draw in a new kind of visitor, one who likes to gamble and be entertained.

"Gambling already exists in the city - betting offices, amusement arcades and even in internet cafes. A casino provides facilities to gamble in a strictly controlled and regulated environment. It could be a great source of revenue and additional visitors.

"But there has to be a full debate as to whether the residents of York want it. The main concern really is the necessary steps to ensure that any gambling in the city would not be a source of crime, disorder or antisocial behaviour. Children and other vulnerable people should also be protected from being harmed or exploited by gambling."

The city may have already missed the boat, warns Neil Horwell, one of the businessmen behind proposals for an £8 million casino and leisure complex off Foss Islands road.

Mr Horwell said he and his associates would push ahead with their plans. "But realistically, I think City of York Council has been so slow in recognising the need for a casino they have let the ship leave the harbour," he said.

That was a wasted opportunity, he said. York without a casino was "like not having a racecourse".

The dangers of gambling...

THOSE opposed to gambling fear the new wave of casinos approved yesterday could lead to an increase in gambling addiction.

Concerns were inflamed after it emerged the Government might relax the ban on TV advertising of gambling.

A YouGov poll for the Daily Telegraph revealed more than half of people interviewed believed the spread of casinos would increase problem gambling.

The Salvation Army and Methodist church today challenged the Government to channel resources into helping the people who may develop problems, fearing more people could develop a "serious gambling addiction".

"The gambling industry and the Government will benefit most from the huge profits of increased gambling," said Anthea Cox, co-ordinating secretary for public life and social justice at the Methodist Church.

"We are challenging them to channel substantial resources to help those people who will experience problems."

Andrew Waller, deputy leader of City of York Council, accused the Government of "burying their heads in the sand" over gambling. "They've ignored the report by the British Medical Association about the impacts of gambling," he said.

York-based TV producer Chris Wood said he had no problem with casinos - but felt they should not be allowed to advertise.

"What is the Government's fascination with getting people to gamble all the time?" he said. "Maybe they just want to keep the economy moving. There will be taxation in it so I can see it is a source of revenue for them, but I think it's ridiculous."

Ryedale MP John Greenway, who chaired a scrutiny panel which looked into the Government's Gambling Act, said in the wake of the new wave of casinos it would be vital to ensure operators took their responsibilities seriously.

"I shall be calling for the Secretary of State to ensure that all the operators contribute towards the Responsibility In Gambling Trust, so we can continue to provide public awareness and continue to provide a safety net for people who gamble beyond their needs," he said.

"I've made a few bob here and there from gambling, but nothing so spectacular as to pay off my credit card bills"

A HOLIDAY to Las Vegas marked my first tentative foray into the world of casinos and gambling, and an instance of beginner's luck on one of the roulette tables in Caesar's Palace sparked my hunger for bigger and better wins.

Cue late-night poker tournaments with friends, sessions of internet gambling lasting hours at a time, and several trips to the Grovesnor Casino in Leeds.

I've made a few bob here and there from gambling, but nothing so spectacular as to pay off my credit card bills. I haven't lost vast amounts either, unlike some of my friends, who have burned a hole in their wallets while on Texas Hold Em benders.

Rather than use gambling as a way of making money, I see it as a form of entertainment and always try and take a step back when putting my stake in. For me, the glitz and glamour of casinos are part of the excitement of gambling, although the cigarette-stained carpets and retro wallpaper in many casinos can hardly be described as glamorous.

I can see how people can develop a gambling addiction but, by keeping in mind the general rule of "the house always wins", I manage to keep a bit of perspective, not to mention a bit of money. And perhaps the main reason I haven't developed a gambling addiction myself is that, as a student, I can't afford to.

- Ben Matthews

Resort wins a second spin of the wheel

CIVIC chiefs in Scarborough were overjoyed that the seaside town had been successful in its bid for a licence to host a second casino.

"It's fantastic news," said Jim Dillon, chief executive of the borough council. "The decision is hugely important for the regeneration of the town and reflects the Government's growing confidence in the area."

Scarborough was one of eight towns named yesterday to host a new "small" casino with up to 80 gaming machines. It will be the second casino in the town. The £7 million Opera House Casino, with 14 gaming tables and 28 slot machines, opened in October, 2005.

It had been a major success in helping to regenerate the town and bring in visitors, said the borough council's cabinet member for tourism, David Jeffels.

No site has yet been identified for the new casino.

Council leader Tom Fox said the next step would be to "invite competing bids for licences for possible sites".

Rob Coldham, operations director of the Opera House Casino, said the news of a second casino had come as a "bit of a shock", although his company would "welcome the competition with open arms".

Nikolas and Becky Shaw, who owned the Opera House Casino, would also be looking to bid to run the new "large" casino in Leeds, he added.

The winners

Manchester is to host the UK's first Las- Vegas-style super casino, following a decision by the Casino Advisory Panel yesterday.

There will also be eight "large" casinos, with up to 150 gaming machines each, in:

* Leeds
* Hull
* Middlesbrough
* Great Yarmouth
* Milton Keynes
* Newham
* Solihull
* Southampton.

Five "small" casinos, with up to 80 gaming machines in each, have been approved in:

* Scarborough
* Bath
* Dumfries and Galloway
* East Lindsey
* Luton
* Swansea
* Torbay
* Wolverhampton