Swansea Lands Small Casino Licence

HUNDREDS of jobs and millions of pounds worth of investment could be coming to Swansea after its council scooped a recommendation for a small casino licence yesterday morning (January 30).

The Council has heard that the Casino Advisory Panel has recommended to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport that Swansea has been awarded one of only 17 new casino licences issued across the country.

If approved by the Secretary of State, the new licence would enable Swansea to open a small casino under the legislation passed in 2005.

The new casino would be allowed to operate an extensive customer area offering a wide range of gambling and betting as well as a variety of non-gambling, leisure and entertainment facilities.

Customers may not have to register for membership in order to visit the casino.

Swansea Council Leader, Cllr Chris Holley, said: "This is very good news for Swansea. The new licence would represent a significant new opportunity for Swansea to further broaden its growing leisure and entertainment offering.

"It will increase the vitality of the city and county and provide an extra boost to tourism. There are likely to be many good job opportunities created by this new type of casino.

"At the same time, the Council would ensure better regulated gambling in Swansea in line with the new Gambling Act, which seeks to protect young and vulnerable groups, ensure gambling isn't a source of crime and disorder and is conducted in a fair and transparent manner.

"If this news is confirmed by the Secretary of State, our next task would be to identify the operator and location that can best deliver this exciting new opportunity for Swansea. We want to have a first class leisure destination that attracts great interest and activity as well as generating real and lasting employment and regeneration prospects."

Phil James, Chair of the Swansea Economic Regeneration Partnership, said: "I'm sure that the new licensing powers will attract a substantial interest from operators for such a leisure facility and create a distinctive entertainment offering that will help secure a healthy future for Swansea. It will generate significant benefits for the community."

NOTES FOR EDITORS

1. Swansea has been recommended for a small casino licence. This is NOT a Regional or Super Casino licence.

2. The Government has awarded three types of casino licences: A Regional, a Large and a Small casino licence. In total, one Regional, eight Large and eight Small casino licences have been awarded.

3. The three types of licence have the following distinguishing features: -

* The Regional casino licence will allow a minimum total customer area of 5,000 square metres and permit up to 1,250 unlimited jackpot gaming machines. It will also permit bingo and other betting services. The Government expects a Regional Casino will be a major development, offering clear potential for regeneration. In addition to the above gambling activities, it may include hotel accommodation, conference facilities, restaurants, bars, areas for live entertainment and other leisure attractions and non-gambling leisure facilities.

* Large casino licences will allow a minimum total customer area of 1,500 square metres, and permit up to 150 gaming machines with a maximum jackpot of £4,000. It will also permit bingo and other betting services.

* Small casino licences will allow a minimum total customer area of 750 square metres, and permit up to 80 gaming machines with a maximum jackpot of £4,000. Bingo will not be permitted, but other betting services will be allowed.

4. If the recommendation is approved, the next steps involve undertaking the process of identifying a suitable proposal from casino operators. The process will be open to all operators and will have two stages. The first stage will be a regulatory test to ensure that all proposals satisfy the regulatory premises licensing requirements of the legislation. If there is more than one application for casino premises licences then the second stage of the process will be a competition held by the Council on the wider casino proposal. The competition could be judged on a wide range of issues reflecting the issues that are important in the local area, local concerns and priorities. These may include, for example, employment and regeneration potential, location, range of facilities, financial commitments by the developer to local projects and other matters.

5. The successful operator will need to have an operating licence, a premises licence and planning permission.

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This page last updated on January 31 2007