In the United Kingdom, a regional casino was the largest category of casino permitted under law – equivalent in size to the larger casinos in Las Vegas. The first regional casino was proposed in 2007 to be in the City of Manchester, but the scheme was scrapped by the government in 2008.
History
The Gambling Act 2005 revised many regulations relating to gambling in England. Amongst the most controversial provisions was the establishment of a number of 'destination casinos' in the style of Las Vegas, commonly referred to in the media as 'super casinos' Initial drafts of the act proposed eight regional casinos but concerns expressed in the national media and by a range of addiction related social and religious groups meant that the final revision of the act permitted only one casino of the largest size, referred to as a 'regional casino', with a further eight 'large' and eight 'small' casinos of a smaller sizes and with reduced jackpot limits. Prior to the act there were 140 casinos in the UK, the largest of which in Star City, Birmingham had a floor area of around. Customers were required to register twenty-four hours prior to gaming.
Definition of casino types
Under the terms of the Gambling Act the Secretary of State is able to define each type of casino, with reference to any matter he or she chooses; although the act specifically mentions as facts to consider the number, location and concentration of gaming tables, and the floor area designated for a specific purpose. Definitions have been determined such that the 'super casino' will have a minimum customer area of 5000 square metres and at most 1250 unlimited-jackpot slot machines. 'Large casinos' will have a minimum area of 1000 square metres and up to 150 slot machines with a maximum jackpot of £4000. The 'small casinos' will have a minimum customer area of 750 sq metres, up to 80 slot machines and a jackpot of £4000.
Shortlist and selection
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:
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 gambling venue". This brought the number of potential venues down to seven. The O2's proposal was involved in controversy after it was revealed that John Prescott had stayed at the ranch of Philip Anschutz, whose Anschutz Entertainment Group was involved in the reopening of the Millennium Dome site as a sporting and entertainment venue. In August 2006 it was reported that construction of the shell of The O2's super casino site had already started. Sites rejected at this shortlisting phase included:
In March 2007, the House of Lords rejected the Gambling Order relating to the Manchester casino. In January 2008, under new Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the government confirmed that plans for super casinos would be scrapped. By November 2015, casinos in the 'large' category had opened in Milton Keynes, Newham and Solihull, with a fourth due to open in Leeds in 2016.
