Minister defends gambling bill

THE minister unveiling the gambling free-for-all today claimed the new laws would lead to fewer addicts.

Lord McIntosh, who admits that he does not gamble, spoke as the Government prepared to rush through the Gambling Bill to allow an explosion in 'super casinos' by next summer.

Rounding on pressure groups such as the Salvation Army which have warned of an increase in addicts, he said: 'I know more than they do.'

The Labour peer said those who claimed the number of addicts would more than double from 300,000 to 700,000 did not know 'what they are talking about'. He added: 'I say there is no conceivable way of knowing (if there will be more addicts). I know more than they do.' He argued that without new laws there would be more addicts, not fewer.

The Bill will allow a massive expansion in the number of casinos in Britain. Major international companies are already planning super casinos with halls of up to 1,250 gaming machines offering £1m prizes. Some 96 different sites across Britain have been identified by American corporations.

Lord McIntosh said: 'We have had casinos for 150 years legally and there's no reason why casinos, properly regulated, shouldn't be an option for grown-ups.

'This bill is about protection, not new customers. There are 341 clauses. Fewer than 10% are about casinos. All the rest are about protection and new powers for the Gambling Commission.'

He said the legislation would protect 'children and the vulnerable' and bring internet gambling under the law for the first time.

He said some 90% of the new legislation was concerned with tightening existing laws. At the moment Britain has 126 casinos with jackpots on slot machines limited to £2,000.

The new plans would see a casino in almost every town or city. The bill is to be fast-tracked through Parliament, meaning it could be passed before the general election with the new casinos coming into operation by next summer. But ministers have been hit by a massive backlash.

The Salvation Army's public affairs officer Jonathan Lomax said it had commissioneda survey which showed no demand for the liberalisation of gambling laws.

'An NOP poll showed that 93% of the British public think there are already enough opportunities to gamble,' he said.

'There are only two real winners that will benefit from the liberalisation of gambling laws - the gaming industry, through massively increased profits, and the Government through increased taxation. The big losers will be the vulnerable people whose lives are ruined by gambling addiction.'

In the last three years, the amount of money gambled in Britain has risen from £8bn to £40bn.

A recent YouGov survey for KPMG found one in three adults would be interested in visiting one of the super casinos. At present only 6% of the public regularly go to casinos.

Betting giants offer huge sweeteners to councils

CASINO developers are offering millions of pounds in inducements to local councils in return for Las Vegas-style developments, the Evening Standard has learned.

The company behind a proposed £334m gambling and leisure resort at Wembley offered a percentage of its profits for life in return for planning permission for a similar project.

Insiders say the cash sweetener was offered to Manchester city council if it gave planning permission to Caesars International for a £360m betting resort.

It was said to include an annual income of 2% of gaming revenues or more than £1m - whichever was the greater - plus a one-off grant of 'several millions' to support local regeneration.

The Vegas-based betting giant recently announced plans for Caesars Wembley, a 13-acre complex in the new national football stadium development with 'a world-class casino', some 1,250 slot machines paying up to £1m in prizes, a 400-room hotel, spa, designer shops, restaurants and bars.

As Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell faced a backlash over the Government's Gambling Bill, campaigners said big cash inducements could sway councils into allowing honeytraps for inexperienced gamblers.

The fast-tracked Bill, published today, has sparked a rush of foreign firms seeking to cash in on a relaxation in the rules covering giant betting complexes.

Salvation Army spokesman Jonathan Lomax warned: 'Local authorities will have to make important decisions about where to site potential casinos and it would severely impair their impartiality if significant amounts of money were being offered in return for licences.'

The Government has tried to allay concerns by saying council planners will safeguard the interests of the public.

It is normal for councils to negotiate a 'planning gain' where developers pay a cash sum under Section 106 of planning laws, pay for new roads or set aside low-cost housing.

But a profit share is thought to be unprecedented. Some councils are said to have indicated to potential developers they will favour bids that include annual income streams.

The Caesars International proposal at Manchester was trumped by a consortium involving South African Sol Kerzner, which agreed to pay what the council called 'an agreed sum in local community development and regeneration'.

Brent council said it had not opened talks with Caesars. Neither council nor company would comment on what financial package might be discussed.

A Caesars spokesman said it was not unusual for the company to give profit-sharing deals to US local authorities, bringing 'many millions of dollarsî into projects such as housing and job creation. 'It is certainly not intended as an inducement,' he said. 'It is an expression of our responsibility to the community where we will operate.'

Culture Minister Lord McIntosh said today: 'I don't think it is legal under Section 106 for anyone to offer a share of profits.

'What they can do - and it seems to me entirely desirable - in return for permission to develop a casino is provide benefits for local people.'

Asked on BBC radio if these amounted to pay-offs to the councils, he replied: 'Yes, indeed, and why not?'