 |
|
 |
|
 Main Menu |
|
| News
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
| Current |
|
|
|
| GGG | |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
| | Home | | Index | | Info | | This Week | | Poker | | News |
 |
|||||
|
|||||
|
|||||
|
|||||
 |
|||||
| Wednesday November 16, 2005 What are they? The government calls them large casinos and regional casinos - but to everyone else they are known as "supercasinos" and "megacasinos". Supercasinos will span at least 1,500 square metres, and will have the right to operate 150 machines with jackpots of £5,000. The megacasino will be an all-day Vegas-style gambling palace, which will get a licence to include 1,250 slot machines, each with a jackpot of £1m. Both are to be introduced under the new Gambling Act, which became law in 2005; the first casino is due to open by December 2007. How many will there be? The government originally said there could be as many as 40 megacasinos, and an unlimited number of supercasinos. But controversy about the idea has forced ministers into retreat over the numbers. First the number of megacasinos was cut to just eight - one for each region; then, in a last-ditch attempt to get the new gambling measures through parliament, culture minister Tessa Jowell cut the number of megacasinos to just one. A limit of eight has also been placed on the number of supercasinos, with eight smaller versions also to be built - bringing the total number of new casinos to 17. Where will they be? There have been almost 200 planning applications for new casinos since the idea was first mooted. There are bids for megacasinos in Blackpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Glasgow, Newcastle and London. An independent panel will advise the government next year on which areas will be successful Why have they been introduced? US gambling firms persuaded ministers that new casinos could create up to 100,000 new jobs and help regenerate run-down areas. The original idea was to attract investment by freeing up Britain's prudish gambling laws. But the measures have been so watered down that they now amount to little more than a tightly controlled experiment. Why is the idea so controversial? Critics fear that the proposals will increase crime, lead to a sharp rise in gambling addiction, and lead to trashy new development. There was also a concern that ministers were being unduly swayed by rich American firms and their well-paid lobbyists. What happens if those fears are realised? The new casinos will be reviewed after three years. Who is against new casinos? Concerns have been voiced from both the right and left, notably in both the Daily Mail and The Guardian. Church groups and charities are some of the most vocal opponents. What about existing casinos? The British owners of the existing 140 casinos were relieved that the government has acted to limit the number of new gambling dens. They had feared being forced out of business by the American operators of the larger casinos. Under the new laws existing casinos will be allowed to double the number of slot machines from 10 to 20, with maximum jackpots of £4,000. They will also be allowed to operate without membership restrictions for punters. |
|||||
|
|||||
 |
|||||
Welcome to the News desk.
