Stranraer casino 'should be unaffected by gambling study'

2007-09-24 15:24:58

Plans for a new casino in Dumfries and Galloway will not be affected by the Gambling Commission's new report, one MP has said.

Under the 2005 Gambling Act, Stranraer was recommended as a site for a Scottish regional casino and local MP Russell Brown believes the latest study will not have "much impact" on the proposals.

According to the commission's report, problem gambling has not risen over the past eight years in the UK.

"I don't think this report will have much impact on whether we see a casino being built in Stranraer," he told the BBC.

"The licences for 16 smaller ones are still likely to go to councils, including Dumfries and Galloway, unless the local authorities involved have a change of heart."

Culture secretary James Purnell has written to the various councils that were awarded casino licenses to see if they still wanted to go ahead with the projects after the House of Lords threw out the government's casino plans in March.