Swansea shortlisted for casino

The Council has reached the shortlist of locations around

Britain bidding to the Casino Advisory Panel for a large and small casino in Swansea. This is not a regional (super) casino.

Council Leader, Chris Holley said, "We are very pleased to have reached the shortlist. There were 67 applications by local authorities around the UK. The benefits of having a larger casino would be a major boost to Swansea, our local economy and our aspiration to be a distinctive European city by 2020. "

Following an evidence gathering process which considered the likely impact and benefits of a new type of casino in Swansea, a bid for powers to grant licences for a large and small casino was submitted to the Panel for consideration.

No particular site in the city has been earmarked as a potential location for a casino. This would be a matter for any developer when making proposals to the Council.

The Panel has told the Council shortlisted locations will now be subjected to detailed analysis. This will give organisations and individuals the chance to comment.

The bid included information on:

.the type of area Swansea is

.the anticipated social impact of the proposal

.the need for regeneration

.the commitment of the Council to facilitate the licensing function

.the probability of implementation

.the regional and local context

.any community benefits to Swansea

.unique characteristics of Swansea's proposal.

The Gambling Act recently passed by Parliament allowed for three new types of casino to operate; one regional or super casino with eight large and eight small casinos.

The Casino Advisory Panel's role was to recommend local authority areas for the locations of new casinos. If the Minister adopts the Panel's recommendations, it is expected that the selected local authorities will then be able to determine the best proposal for their area.

A report by the Cabinet Advisory Panel is expected to be presented to the Minister by mid to end December 2006.

The Government's policy on casinos is based on three broad objectives:

To protect children and other vulnerable people from harm

To prevent gambling being a source of crime and disorder

To ensure that gambling is conducted in a fair and open way

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