Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING | January 2009 42 The Queen’s Gardens and Maritime Museum in Kingston upon Hull city centre UK Project Pipeline From Solihull to Leeds, gaming development plans span large, small and smaller Solihull This West Midlands city of 95,000 has emerged as the most likely site for the first of the eight “large” casinos authorized by the 2005 Gambling Act. However, before a site can be chosen the local council has to invite bids from developers and choose whichever it thinks can deliver the most benefits for the area. A £90 million joint venture between the National Exhibition Centre and Genting Stanley featuring a 15,000-square-meter gaming floor with the statutory limit of 150 limited-prize slots is seen as the favorite. But Rank Group has also been lobbying in the area. Rank Chief Executive Ian Burke is launching a grassroots campaign to persuade local groups that his company takes the social concerns of local communities seriously. “We have been active in Solihull in engaging with influential stakeholders such as church and faith groups, charitable organisations as well as business representatives,” he said. NEC is confident that the Genting-backed venture can win the backing of the council. “The NEC Group now looks forward to demonstrating that our partner and proposals represent the best possible outcome for Solihull, Birmingham and the wider West Midlands,” said head of communications Deborah Smith. The council is expected to announce the identity of its preferred partner early this year. Yarmouth Developers have received the backing of the local council in this North Sea resort town for a “large” casino scheme on the sea front called The Edge. The £35 million project includes a 138-room hotel, eight-screen cinema, 18-lane bowling alley, six restaurants and four stories of car parking. The casino will be operated by Aspers, a joint venture between Aspinalls and the Packer Organisation. The scheme was proposed by Councillor Mick Castle, who said, “The town has embraced this project, and there have not been any objections apart from extraneous matters such as parking concerns. This scheme is about jobs, about regeneration and about improving the offer of a seaside town.” Aspers says the development will create up to 1,000 jobs. The plans will go before the Secretary of State, who will decide whether to hold a public enquiry or allow the decision to be taken by the council. The granting of a license is expected to take 18 months fromapplication. There is some opposition to the development with some conservationists concerned the six-story hotel will obscure views of the sea and the town’s famous monument to Lord Nelson. Hull Developers behind a £100 million development in this Yorkshire city of 257,000 have been given a two-year deadline to start work on the city center site. The scheme is incorporated in what will be Hull’s tallest building, a 23-story high rise that will contain a “large” casino, a 185-bed hotel and student accommodations. The developers, Manor Group, say they have two possible international operators lined up to run the casino and hotel. But the council is getting impatient and wants work to start soon. Councillor John Fareham, chairman of the local Planning Committee, explained: “I am concerned about the level of permissions we have given in the city centre that have not been taken up. The city centre is meant to be the jewel in our crown, of respite before things get worse again, and we are battening down the hatches.” In the short term there is unlikely to be any significant increase in the 144 casinos currently operating in the UK. Indeed, there is more likely to be a decrease. As for the Gambling Act, it was conceived during a period of economic growth and massive increases in gambling turnover. Only if and when the economy recovers and the sector begins to thrive again will it be possible to pass final judgment on it. Reprinted with permission from International Gaming and Wagering Business (IGWB) magazine. Simon Banks is a freelance writer specializing in the sports and gambling industries. He is based in London. Feature