CR59-p2&3-Euro 2&3:SJC-Casino Review 19/8/07 10:24 Page 2
Brian Pomeroy has been appointed steps down. He will be responsible
as the new chair of the British for taking the Gambling Commission
Gambling Commission, the forward as it develops its regulatory
Pomeroy to
Government’s gambling watchdog, role, including enforcing many of the
Secretary of State for Culture, Media new elements of the Gambling Act.
take over at
and Sport, James Purnell, has Pomeroy is currently Chair of the
British
revealed. Pomeroy will take up his Payments Council and Financial
Commission
post on 1 January 2008, after the Inclusion Task Force as well as a
current chair Peter Dean, pictured, Member of the Audit Commission.
Blackpool
publishes
plans for not
one but two
casinos
Despite the industry wide presumption that the UK’s first Las Vegas
sized casino is indeed ‘dead in the water,’ Blackpool is surging
ahead with its super casino dreams despite flagging behind
Manchester in the Cap proposals and amid claims the Prime
Minister Gordon Brown has rejected the whole super proposal.
twoscompany ernment has yet to approve Blackpool is still in business,
UNITEDKINGDOM the scheme. and that potential investors
Councillor Brian Doherty can still be attracted to the
The Lancashire resort of Black- said: “This is not a new applica- area, and that is what is hap-
pool is refusing to accept tion - it has been on the table pening. ReBlackpool are
defeat in the war with govern- about two years and should setting down their markers for
ment and is combating its two have come to us last October regeneration in the key areas
severest set backs, namely the but was delayed.” of the town, such as this casino
Casino Advisory Panel’s prefer- The flailing seaside town site and the Promenade. The
ence of Manchester and which had pinned so much current submission was made
Gordon Brown’s apparent con- onto to casino led regenera- almost a year ago but is now
tempt for casinos with a tion last month published being deferred to Government
double whammy of its own. an outline planning applica- for final approval because of
ReBlackpool, the group tion for two such casinos, a the size of the project.
responsible for the regenera- conference centre, three Doug Garrett, chief execu-
tion of the resort, has come hotels, offices and a Winter tive of ReBlackpool, said:
out fighting with plans for Promenade on the 20-acre “Whether or not the casino
not one casino but two. They Central Station site. goes ahead there, we need to
might not quite be the super The planning application demonstrate the site can take
sized venues it had once comes a month after Brown serious mixed use develop-
envisaged. Indeed at one stage suggested out of nowhere that ment. Whether we can get a
six of the super casinos were super casinos were not the licence or not, it sets a marker.”
planned for the Golden Mile, way to regenerate but regener- Callow added: “We have to
gracing the resort but plans ation chiefs at ReBlackpool, take steps to show potential
to build two casinos as part of the group responsible for the investors Blackpool is on the
a wider regeneration of the regeneration of the resort, say move again. The town is not
old Central Station site in they are pressing ahead with the kind of place that's going
Blackpool have won the the proposals. to roll over just because of
support of councillors. Council leader Councillor one setback. We're alive and
If the plan is approved by Peter Callow suggested that kicking and we have to show
ministers, a 12,247 sq m casino despite defeat being on the people this.”
will be erected on the north- horizon it wasn’t time to admit A report to Blackpool's
eastern corner of the site and a it quite yet. “I can't see Gordon development control com-
12,556 sq m casino will be built Brown going back on his word mittee says: “There remains
in the middle. now, and I think we're just the prospect of a regional
The council has voted in clinging on the dream when in casino being licensed” but
favour of the redevelopment all reality it's dead,” he said. adds the decision at this stage
project, although the gov- "But we have to show that is “solely the land use.”
Chaves Casino
metres, the hotel will have 72 rooms and six
suites, a restaurant and coffee shop with capacity
to attract
for 200 people, bar, shops, meeting rooms, health
club and various sporting facilities, namely an
thousands
indoor and outdoor swimming pool, football
pitch, squash court and fitness circuit.
The casino has auditoriums, gaming rooms,
hundredsandthousands restaurants and bars with capacity for over
PORTUGAL 600 people.
João Baptista, the social-democrat who
The Hotel Chaves Casino, a project due for com- leads the local authority, said that it was the
pletion by the start of 2008 by Portuguese operator local authority investments which “boosted”
Solverde, will help attract thousands of new private investment in Chaves and said that the
tourists to the region, according to the local mayor. council in charge is at the “confluence” of
With a total construction area of 32,000 square large public and private investments.
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64