UK casino expansion still on the cards
8th February, 2008
The government has quashed plans for a supercasino in Manchester while simultaneously greenlighting a series of smaller regional casinos.
Prime minister Gordon Brown had expressed concern about his predecessor's plans to roll out Las Vegas-style complexes across the UK, insisting other avenues of economic development were preferable.
But his cabinet's latest report suggests the Labour party leader still sees a role for casinos in regenerating parts of the UK, with no fewer than 16 smaller sites now confirmed for sites across the country.
Rejecting the compromise, supporters of the Manchester supercasino have expressed anger at the prime minister's decision. They argue that the cost to the local economy will be significant and accuse Brown of flipflopping.
"What annoys me more than anything is this man came to Manchester and he actually voted for the casino," local resident Barbara Taylor told BBC Radio 5 Live. "I just want to know what the government are going to do to put those three thousand jobs back into east Manchester."
Last year the city was the surprise winner of a competition to find the location of Britain's first Vegas-style casino gambling mecca, fending off stiff competition from Blackpool and Glasgow.
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