Regional Casino - The Shortlist

The Shortlist

In May 2006, a short-list of eight sites, selected from various ones submitted by local councils, was announced for the location of the regional casino. These were:

• Wembley Stadium, Brent, London (which removed itself from consideration prior to the decision being made)
• The O₂, Greenwich, London
• Cardiff
• Blackpool
• Eastlands, Manchester
• Newcastle
• Bramall Lane, East End (Don Valley Stadium) or Meadowhall, Sheffield
• Glasgow Many sites were put forward; including Ibrox Park

Wembley was later ruled out, according to the BBC "The decision came after the local council withdrew its support for the proposed £335m ($632m) gambling venue". This brought the number of potential venues down to seven. The O₂'s casino site was involved in controversy after it was revealed that John Prescott had stayed at the ranch of Philip Anschutz, whose Anschutz Entertainment Group is involved in the reopening of the dome site as a sporting and entertainment venue. On 30 August 2006 it was reported on the BBC Radio 4 7 o'clock news that construction on The O₂'s super casino site had already started, despite the site of the casino being reportedly stated by the Government to still be in the consultation phase. Sites rejected at this shortlisting phase included:

• Chesterfield
• Coventry
• Dartford
• Dudley
• Great Yarmouth
• Havering
• Kingston-upon-Hull
• Ipswich
• Leeds
• Middlesbrough
• Midlothian
• Newport
• Solihull (National Exhibition Centre site)
• Southampton
• Southend-on-Sea
• Sunderland
• Thurrock
• Wakefield
• West Dunbartonshire

On 30 January 2007 it was announced that the first regional casino would be built in East Manchester near the City of Manchester Stadium. This was regarded as a shock to the Blackpool and The O₂ (formerly the Millennium Dome) bids, both of whom were regarded as the favourites. However, the Blackpool bid organisers pledged to continue the work in getting government approval for a 'supercasino'.

The Casino Advisory Panel also recommend that the areas in which large casinos should be licensed are: Great Yarmouth; Kingston-upon-Hull; Leeds; Middlesbrough; Milton Keynes; Newham; Solihull and Southampton. Also small casinos should be licensed at: Bath and North East Somerset; Dumfries and Galloway; East Lindsey; Luton; Scarborough; Swansea; Torbay and Wolverhampton.