Casino public hearings begin
The first in a series of public hearings to determine where Britain's first super-casino will be sited, begins today.
Members of the independent Casino Advisory Panel will recommend to the government where the Las Vegas-style casino should be built after consulting the public over the merits of seven venues that have been shortlisted for the project.
Public scrutiny of the seven casino bids will begin today in London, where a proposal by US entertainment mogul Philip Anschutz to open the first super-casino at the Millennium Dome in Greenwich, will be considered.
The bid by the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) has already attracted controversy following a parliamentary inquiry which concluded that deputy prime minister John Prescott had broken House of Commons' rules by failing to register a stay at Mr Anschutz's American ranch.
Further questions were raised about the Millennium Dome bid earlier this month after it emerged that the company had already begun constructing the shell of its proposed casino despite a final decision not having yet been made over the awarding of the country's first super-casino licence.
AEG was also forced to apologise yesterday after it produced a document wrongly claiming that local faith groups supported the casino plan.Opposition parties have subsequently criticised the process for assessing the casino bids.
'Admissions that the concerns of faith groups and local residents were misrepresented in evidence seriously undermines the Casino Advisory Panel and leads to questions about the rigour and scrutiny to which they have examined the competing bids,' said shadow culture secretary Hugo Swire.
Liberal Democrat culture spokesman Don Foster added that there were 'huge questions about the whole process'.
The government has stressed that parliament will ultimately be responsible for deciding where the first super-casino is located.
Following today's first Examination-in-Public (EiP) hearing in London, the Casino Advisory Panel will travel to Cardiff, Glasgow, Newcastle, Sheffield, Manchester and Blackpool to assess rival casino bids over the next two weeks.
During the round table discussions, a range of interested groups, including local authorities, religious groups, police and anti-gambling campaigners, will be able to voice their opinions about the desirability of building Britain's first super-casino in each location.
The government had originally envisaged opening a number of super-casinos across the country in order to boost employment and regeneration, but was forced to revise its plans in the wake of criticisms made by anti-addiction charities and others.
Only one super-casino will initially be allowed to operate in the UK, under the terms of the Gambling Act 2005. |
