PREFACE: This document constitutes the final report of the Casino Advisory Panel to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and discharges the Panel’s duties conferred on it by her.

Much of our report is of an historical nature, charting the progress of our work from our appointment on 1 October 2005 to the formulation of our conclusions and recommendations in this report.

Elsewhere in our report, we make some general findings, concerning such matters as our views on what might constitute the best possible test of social impact and the relationship between a casino development and the likelihood of it becoming a catalyst for regeneration on a larger scale. Then we give a brief appraisal of all the proposals that remained before us to the end and finally our recommendations for the location of the seventeen casinos to be permitted.

In the course of our fact finding in relation to the proposals selected for further examination, a very large amount of evidence was amassed. Inevitably it is impossible to record every bit of relevant evidence in this report. Nevertheless, all relevant evidence has been considered even though it has been possible only to mention the most persuasive elements in our analysis of the proposals concerned.

I would like to extend my thanks to the other members of the Casino Advisory Panel, and to the members of the Secretariat who supported us, for their hard work, dedication and commitment throughout the process.

Professor H. Stephen Crow CB

Recommended areas for eight large casinos

After careful consideration of the proposals and all the relevant evidence against our remitted criteria, we recommend that the areas in which large casinos should be licensed are:

• Borough of Great Yarmouth
• City of Kingston-upon-Hull
• City of Leeds
• Borough of Middlesbrough
• City of Milton Keynes
• London Borough of Newham
• Borough of Solihull
• City of Southampton

Recommended areas for eight small casinos

After careful consideration of the proposals and all the relevant evidence against our remitted criteria, we recommend that the areas in which small casinos should be licensed are:

• Bath and North East Somerset District
• Dumfries and Galloway District
• East Lindsey District
• Borough of Luton
• Borough of Scarborough
• County Borough of Swansea
• Borough of Torbay
• Metropolitan Borough of Wolverhampton

The type and geographical distribution of all the recommended proposals is illustrated on the following map.

Download Final Report of the Casino Advisory Panel

PDF format, 981KB, 181Pages.

Recommendations to the Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport on locations for one regional, eight large and eight small casinos allowed under section 175 of the Gambling Act 2005

30 JANUARY 2007

Visit The Casino Advisory Panel Website

Background Introduction:

The Gambling Act recently passed by Parliament will allow three new types of casinos to operate in Britain. One “regional casino” will be permitted, along with eight large and eight small casinos.

The regional casino will have a minimum total customer area of 5,000 m², and be permitted up to 1,250 Category A unlimited jackpot gaming machines. Large casinos will have a minimum total customer area of 1,500 m², and be permitted up to 150 Category B gaming machines, with a maximum jackpot of £4,000. Small casinos will have a minimum total customer area of 750m², and be permitted up to 80 Category B gaming machines, with a maximum jackpot of £4,000. The one regional and eight large casinos will be permitted to offer bingo, and all three categories will be permitted to offer betting.

The Government expects that a regional casino will be a major development, offering clear potential for regeneration. It will provide not just a range of gambling activities, but may include hotel accommodation, conference facilities, restaurants, bars, areas for live entertainment and other leisure attractions.

The Advisory Panel’s task will be to recommend to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport the areas where the one regional casino and eight large and eight small casinos would best be located. The primary criterion, as laid down by the Secretary of State is:

• to ensure that locations satisfy the need for the best possible test of social impact (which may require a range of locations of different kinds such as seaside resorts, edge of town developments or inner city centres);

Subject to that, the Secretary of State has also asked the Panel;

• to include areas in need of regeneration (as measured by unemployment and other social deprivation data) and which are likely to benefit in these terms from a new casino;
• to ensure that those areas selected are willing to license a new casino.

Comments (4)

Name

Email

Comment

smaller | bigger

Add Comment