UK to get 141 new casinos?

2008-02-20 11:23:01

The number of casinos in the UK could be set to rise from 144 to 285, it has been reported.

An estimated 141 applications have been submitted to the Gambling Commission, although it promises it is only dealing with 78 due to withdrawals, according to the Daily Mail.

Liberal Democrat spokesman Don Foster demanded to know why the government had taken such a strict line on the supercasino bid, yet allowed the gaming industry to potentially double its casino quota.

"This is not a question about the rights or wrongs of gambling," he remarked.

"It is about the government's complete failure to accurately predict the number of casinos we would end up with following its gambling reforms."

The government had said there would definitely be no more than 150 casinos in the UK back in 2005, when changes to legislation were first announced.

Las Vegas Sands recently revealed it is not going to enter the UK casino market because restrictions on the size of gaming venues are too strict.