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Manchester has been chosen as the surprise location of Britain's first Las Vegas-style super-casino.
The decision is a blow for Blackpool and London's former Millennium Dome which were the bookmakers' favourites.
The licence will allow Manchester to build a venue for up to 1,250 unlimited-jackpot gaming machines.
Licences for smaller casinos were granted to Great Yarmouth, Hull, Leeds, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Newham, Solihull and Southampton.
The Casino Advisory Panel also granted licences for the smallest type of casino to Bath and North East Somerset, Dumfries and Galloway, East Lindsey, Luton, Scarborough, Swansea, Torbay and Wolverhampton.
Manchester was a 16-1 outsider at the bookmakers to be selected as a test-bed for the UK's first regional "resort" casino.
There has been speculation that more super-casino licences might be awarded in future by ministers.
But the BBC understands that Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell will tell MPs later that there will definitely be no more awarded this Parliament.
Stephen Crow, chairman of the independent Casino Advisory Panel, said Manchester had been chosen because of its "very thorough consultation" with the local community and "the way it dealt with questions of problem gambling".
LARGE CASINOS
Great Yarmouth
Hull
Leeds
Middlesbrough
Milton Keynes
Newham
Solihull
Southampton
"Manchester has a catchments area for a casino second only to that of London, and it is an area in need of regeneration at least as much as any of the others we observed.
"Indeed, the city has the greatest need in terms of multiple deprivation of all the proposals that were before us," Prof Crow said in a statement.
He told BBC News 24 political rows surrounding the bid process "did not take any part in our consideration".
And he was confident the panel's decision was "watertight" if it came to a legal challenge from any of the losing bidders.
Downing Street said Ms Jowell will make a Commons statement on the panel's decision at 1530 GMT.
"Tessa Jowell has to make up her mind whether to accept the panel's decision and then it goes to the House to vote on," the Prime Minister's official spokesman said.
A spokeswoman for Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, who was embroiled in controversy over close links with billionaire Millennium Dome owner Philip Anschutz, said he would not be commenting.
"It's not his area of responsibility any more," she added.
SMALL CASINOS
Bath and North East Somerset
Dumfries and Galloway
East Lindsey
Luton
Scarborough
Swansea
Torbay
Wolverhampton
Doug Garrett, chief executive of ReBlackpool, the urban regeneration company that worked on the town's bid, said the decision was a "smack in the face for Blackpool".
"It is tragic. It is very difficult to see how they have drawn their conclusions," said Mr Garrett.
Previous assessment had put Manchester at the bottom of the seven bidders, and all local government bodies and regeneration agencies in the region backed Blackpool, not Manchester, added Mr Garrett.
"It is a very strange decision, we need to look into the rationale. Manchester has come from nowhere. It was a real, real dark horse," he said.
Councillor Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: "This is fantastic news for Manchester, and the region.
"Manchester has an unrivalled track record in the delivery of major regeneration schemes so we are confident we have the expertise to deliver a world-class venue, creating thousands of new jobs for local people."
A spokesman for Dome bidders AEG said: "We are very disappointed that the London Borough of Greenwich has not been recommended as the location for the first regional casino.
"We are taking time to examine the findings in full and considering our position."
Manchester's bid organisers said it would regenerate a poor area of east of the city, promising a £265m investment and 2,700 direct and indirect jobs in one of the most deprived parts of the country.
The casino would be based at Sportcity in the Beswick area of Manchester, close to the City of Manchester Stadium, now used by Manchester City FC and built for the Commonwealth Games.
The proposed site will also contain an entertainment complex with a range of facilities such as a multi-purpose arena, a swimming pool, an urban sports venue, restaurants, bars, a nightclub and a hotel.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/uk_politics/6312707.stm
Published: 2007/01/30 12:45:52 GMT
© BBC MMVII
The decision is a blow for Blackpool and London's former Millennium Dome which were the bookmakers' favourites.
The licence will allow Manchester to build a venue for up to 1,250 unlimited-jackpot gaming machines.
Licences for smaller casinos were granted to Great Yarmouth, Hull, Leeds, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Newham, Solihull and Southampton.
The Casino Advisory Panel also granted licences for the smallest type of casino to Bath and North East Somerset, Dumfries and Galloway, East Lindsey, Luton, Scarborough, Swansea, Torbay and Wolverhampton.
Manchester was a 16-1 outsider at the bookmakers to be selected as a test-bed for the UK's first regional "resort" casino.
There has been speculation that more super-casino licences might be awarded in future by ministers.
But the BBC understands that Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell will tell MPs later that there will definitely be no more awarded this Parliament.
Stephen Crow, chairman of the independent Casino Advisory Panel, said Manchester had been chosen because of its "very thorough consultation" with the local community and "the way it dealt with questions of problem gambling".
LARGE CASINOS
Great Yarmouth
Hull
Leeds
Middlesbrough
Milton Keynes
Newham
Solihull
Southampton
"Manchester has a catchments area for a casino second only to that of London, and it is an area in need of regeneration at least as much as any of the others we observed.
"Indeed, the city has the greatest need in terms of multiple deprivation of all the proposals that were before us," Prof Crow said in a statement.
He told BBC News 24 political rows surrounding the bid process "did not take any part in our consideration".
And he was confident the panel's decision was "watertight" if it came to a legal challenge from any of the losing bidders.
Downing Street said Ms Jowell will make a Commons statement on the panel's decision at 1530 GMT.
"Tessa Jowell has to make up her mind whether to accept the panel's decision and then it goes to the House to vote on," the Prime Minister's official spokesman said.
A spokeswoman for Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, who was embroiled in controversy over close links with billionaire Millennium Dome owner Philip Anschutz, said he would not be commenting.
"It's not his area of responsibility any more," she added.
SMALL CASINOS
Bath and North East Somerset
Dumfries and Galloway
East Lindsey
Luton
Scarborough
Swansea
Torbay
Wolverhampton
Doug Garrett, chief executive of ReBlackpool, the urban regeneration company that worked on the town's bid, said the decision was a "smack in the face for Blackpool".
"It is tragic. It is very difficult to see how they have drawn their conclusions," said Mr Garrett.
Previous assessment had put Manchester at the bottom of the seven bidders, and all local government bodies and regeneration agencies in the region backed Blackpool, not Manchester, added Mr Garrett.
"It is a very strange decision, we need to look into the rationale. Manchester has come from nowhere. It was a real, real dark horse," he said.
Councillor Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: "This is fantastic news for Manchester, and the region.
"Manchester has an unrivalled track record in the delivery of major regeneration schemes so we are confident we have the expertise to deliver a world-class venue, creating thousands of new jobs for local people."
A spokesman for Dome bidders AEG said: "We are very disappointed that the London Borough of Greenwich has not been recommended as the location for the first regional casino.
"We are taking time to examine the findings in full and considering our position."
Manchester's bid organisers said it would regenerate a poor area of east of the city, promising a £265m investment and 2,700 direct and indirect jobs in one of the most deprived parts of the country.
The casino would be based at Sportcity in the Beswick area of Manchester, close to the City of Manchester Stadium, now used by Manchester City FC and built for the Commonwealth Games.
The proposed site will also contain an entertainment complex with a range of facilities such as a multi-purpose arena, a swimming pool, an urban sports venue, restaurants, bars, a nightclub and a hotel.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/uk_politics/6312707.stm
Published: 2007/01/30 12:45:52 GMT
© BBC MMVII
