Britain’s first super casino site is not due to be announced for well over a year but Blackpool appears to be ahead of the game. Widely rumoured as the likely winner of the contest ever since the UK government bowed to pressure and decided to limit regional casino development to one prototype, local council plans to revitalise the ageing seaside resort had previously looked likely to remain unfulfilled when the big cities were chosen for spectacular projects by gaming operators. Yesterday Blackpool was named as the place selected by the North West Development Agency (NWDA) as preferred candidate for the super casino.

The NWDA conducted a Casinos Demand Study and have decided that Blackpool would reap the most benefits for its economy, tourism and regeneration. The study was commissioned by the Government Office North West and the North West Regional Assembly, which will subsequently draw up regional planning guidance that will be legally binding on councils. If it follows the recommendations in the study then Manchester, Salford, Liverpool, etc. seem to have been eliminated from the race before it begins. East Manchester council is seeking urgent talks with the government to clarify the situation, and in the meantime has suspended negotiations with Kerzner International over the £260 million (US$451.5 million) development of its Eastlands site.

Of course the choice of Blackpool by the NWDA does not mean an end for the casino plans in other regions of Britain, but the North West does have a strong case for regeneration. A mega casino in Blackpool would give the resort a Las Vegas image rather than a Monte Carlo one and would be expected to make the town a premier tourist destination. Naturally Blackpool Council, which has long taken a proactive stance on casino development, is delighted by the NWDA report.

Further south in the West Midlands the bid for the super casino is being contested by Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton and others. Potential sites such as those at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena or Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre have already been identified. However, the news from the North West may deal a blow not only to Blackpool’s competitors within that area but also to the aspirations of the other regions of Britain. (E-07.27.05)

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