With plans already advanced for a casino at the Arena, Coventry, the Biloxi-based Isle of Capri has now set its sights on Newcastle upon Tyne. Two hotels, leisure and conference facilities as well as a casino are part of the plans presented to Newcastle City Council. The project is based on wasteland along the bank of the Tyne, adjacent to the Metro Radio Arena, and will create as many as 2,000 jobs.

On April 12 Isle of Capri was granted a casino licence for Coventry Arena, which it hopes will gain regional status in due course. The casino is expected to be operational towards the end of next year. The new development in Newcastle calls for investment of around £200 million but is at a very early stage of planning. Newcastle City Council has other proposals to consider, including a £150 million complex next to Newcastle United’s stadium. That project is a partnership between the football club and MGM Mirage.

All such plans must await developments under the Gambling Act 2005. As it stands, only one mega casino resort can be built, but there are many competing projects around Britain and several in the North East. Isle of Capri, just as everyone else, must wait to see which site is chosen for Britain’s first super casino and whether other such projects will get the go-ahead sooner rather than later. (E-05.24.05)

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