On Monday the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham announced that MGM Mirage had been chosen to develop a ‘unique multimillion-pound regeneration proposal’ that would create a spectacular regional entertainment casino complex to be known as MGM Grand at The NEC. A rival bid to build Britain’s first super casino also comes from Birmingham, a project at Birmingham City Football Club. The announcement by the NEC has already been criticized by the club’s chief executive as not meeting the government’s regeneration requirements for the licence.

Birmingham City Council is possibly caught between a rock and a hard place as it deliberates on which project to support. The Council picks up the bill for the NEC funding deficit and a super casino should make the site show a healthy profit. On the other hand, the Birmingham City Football Club proposal is likely to have better regeneration prospects and therefore a better chance competing against other projects around Britain.

The MGM scheme at the NEC, subject to certain provisions, are set to deliver up to 3,000 operational and construction jobs in the area and ‘guarantees a multimillion-pound annual revenue stream’ which the City of Birmingham, as NEC owners, would be able to use every year for regeneration projects. The MGM Grand at The NEC would feature over 300,000 sq ft of entertainment resort space, including a casino and restaurants as well as other leisure facilities. The possible addition of a 300-room hotel has already drawn objections from the nearby Hilton hotel.

The Birmingham City FC scheme for a casino would provide a 55,000-seat multi-purpose stadium and could bring jobs and economic growth to two of the poorest Birmingham wards where unemployment rates are amongst the highest in Great Britain. Before too long, Birmingham City Council will need to make up its mind about which of the two schemes to support - knowing that Birmingham is just one place in the West Midlands with casino projects, and that the West Midlands is just one region of eight around the country.
(E-12.14.05)

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