Now that the stunned surprise of the Casino Advisory Panel choice of Manchester has worn off, the complaints and quibbles are getting louder. Later today a House of Lords Select Committee will hear evidence on why Manchester was selected but before that more voices have been raised in protest. Anschutz Entertainment Group, which originally declared it would not contest the decision, has since complained about a letter from Manchester to CAP containing inaccurate information about the Greenwich application without giving it the opportunity to reply.

Manchester’s application to host Britain’s first super casino seems to be suffering from its professionalism. Britain has a tradition of the winning mattering less than the taking part, and professionalism somehow not being a worthy trait. A report in the Sunday Telegraph quoted gaming expert Professor Peter Collins as considering the Manchester bid to have contained ‘a highly professional assault’ on the Blackpool application, as well as believing that CAP was blinded by its ‘presentational brilliance’.

Perhaps Blackpool was short changed by those that prepared its application. Published figures show that it spent £200,000 (US$) on its presentation, which was £50,000 more than Manchester. Glasgow, in contrast and maybe with typical Scottish thrift, spent a mere £50,000. Glasgow Council is now being accused of not investing sufficient money to win, although it considers that lack of support from the Scottish Executive played its part in the failure. The Council also complains that it was penalised for lack of public support even though it had extensively polled residents and businesses.

The CAP selection process will now undergo further analysis and discussion. The live broadcast of the Lords Committee hearing means that before tomorrow gambling commentators will once again be able to proclaim their opinions on Manchester, super casinos and gambling in general. Whether any new light can be shed on the workings of CAP and their brief to find the best location for the study of social impact remains to be seen, as does whether the evidence this afternoon will irrevocably alter the course of events that saw Manchester win the casino bidding process - the Lords themselves say today’s session is not necessarily to challenge the decisions taken by CAP. (E-03.13.07)

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