New application will face fierce opposition
LIVERPOOL’S existing casinos are sure to object to the latest application.
Current operators are Gala at Wapping Dock, Stanley with Stanley Street and Circus, in Queen Square, and the Grosvenor, on West Derby Road.
When the Government announced plans for more gaming houses and a supercasino, prior to the Gambling Act 2005, there were five applications for Liverpool. The Blair administration later backtracked on a supercasino, but rubber-stamped smaller venues in 16 towns.
None were awarded for Liverpool.
The majority of casinos in the UK were established under the previous legislation. There were over 140 casinos when the Gambling Act came into operation on September 1, 2007. There were over 15m visits to British casinos in 2006/07. The “drop” (money exchanged for gaming chips) amounted to £4.3bn in the same year.
Although the online market is growing, it still only represents 3% of casino takings.
Last year, calls for help from gamblers rose 25% – with the vast majority customers of traditional gambling outlets.
