Panel denies drawing up supercasino shortlist

The Casino Advisory Panel (CAP) has scotched newspaper claims that four cities have been shortlisted as frontrunners for a regional supercasino.

The four cities of Glasgow, Manchester, Blackpool and London were listed in a report in today's The Herald.

But CAP Secretary Jane Bransby said the panel had not yet received any formal applications for the single supercasino proposed under the new Gambling Act, let alone drawn up a shortlist.

The panel invited local authorities to pitch for one of the planned 17 new casinos at the start of this month, and they have until 31 March to apply.

However, the local authorities for Glasgow, Manchester, Blackpool and London were among 26 who expressed an active interest in having a regional supercasino, when the panel was assessing the level of interest.

Of the 131 responses it received from local authorities, another 20 appeared to be interested in the supercasino.

The panel will make its recommendations on the locations of the new casinos by the end of this year.

By Angela Frewin

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