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30 JANUARY 2007
MANCHESTER GETS FIRST SUPERCASINO
UPFRONT, NEWS, FEBRUARY 2007, COMMENTS
Manchester has been granted Britain’s first ever supercasino licence, beating favourites Blackpool and the Greenwich Dome and winning the right to host a 5,000 sq metre casino with up to 1,250 unlimited slot machines.
The news, announced January 30, came as a blow to Blackpool’s hopes of an immediate regeneration from gambling, while the Dome, under its new American owners, was hoping to combine a new casino with a concert hall, hotel and Olympic stadium. But both cities may draw hope from reports that the government may now revert to its original plan to grant gambling licences nationwide.
The leader of Manchester City Council, Richard Leese, said: “The casino will be located at the heart of a city-region with a population of 3 million. Manchester’s bid promises the “highest standards of social responsibility”, with an independent community trust to oversee its workings.
Bid organisers say it will bring prosperity to impoverished communities around Manchester’s Sport City, promising a £265m investment and 2,700 direct and indirect jobs in one of the most deprived parts of the country. The site will also contain an entertainment complex including a multi-purpose arena, a swimming pool, an urban sports venue, restaurants, bars, a nightclub and a hotel.
Professor Stephen Crow, the chair of the independent Casino Advisory Panel which made the decision, said the finalists had not been graded or listed, but Manchester simply chosen as the winner on three criteria - social impact, regeneration and the willingness to license.
From: February 2007 Issue
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