Demand for gambling Bill changes

Casino operators today stepped up demands for changes in the gambling Bill amid speculation that the shake-up could be delayed.

Ministers are threatening to withdraw the Bill and reintroduce it after the general election if the gaming industry fails to unite behind it.

British companies claim they are discriminated against because commercial benefits from the Bill - including £1million jackpots and new games - will be mainly limited to foreign-owned giant super-casinos. Penny Cobham of the British Casino Association, which represents 137 long-established operators, called for a level playing field.

She compared the present plans with allowing only one newsagent in a town to sell Lottery tickets with jackpot prizes while limiting the rest to £10 payouts.

The Government has already watered down plans for giant regional casinos but ministers say they will oppose any further changes when the Bill goes for its second reading in the Lords this week.

Sources said that if peers demand major changes the Bill could be withdrawn until after the general election.

That would delay investment deals worth hundreds of millions of pounds in cities from London to Scotland, where new leisure developments have been tied to casino plans.