Back in February, before Britain’s councils submitted their applications to the Casino Advisory Panel (CAP) for the right to host the first super casino, we pointed out that the winning bidder would have to put out to tender the licence to operate. However, many councils have already tied their flag to the mast of major operators, leading to ‘a legal quagmire’ as the Evening Standard reported today. One of the eight shortlisted councils seems to have kept an open mind and that council is, of course, Blackpool.

To comply with European competition laws the winning local authority must put the casino licence out to full tender. When a council has been working for many months with a potential operator and is under contractual obligation, it would be nearly impossible to declare the bidding fair should that original choice of the council be selected. Legal disputes would be almost certain to erupt, possibly delaying the opening of Britain’s first super casino.

Greenwich Council names Kerzner International as its potential operator, as does Manchester City Council – although the latter states that Kerzner won an international bidding process for the development of Sportcity. Sheffield Council offers supporting evidence in its bid for the super casino from polls and market research from MGM Mirage and Sun International. Indeed, American spelling in the Sheffield application demonstrates close cooperation in the application made to CAP. Cardiff has already chosen Aspers, Glasgow is already working closely with four international operators with projects for that city. Newcastle mentions Isle of Capri and MGM Mirage, Harrah’s Entertainment has been associated with Wembley in Brent.

In Blackpool an Urban Regeneration Company (URC) was agreed in 2004, and in 2005 established an action programme to deliver early casino development. The URC plans to conclude the casino operator competition in August 2007, by which time CAP should have made its recommendation to the Government. The other seven contenders for the super casino may or may not ‘face legal tangle on supercasinos’ as the Evening Standard puts it, but Blackpool must have scored a few more points in its measured progression towards regional casino status. (E-05.30.06)

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