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Leeds seeks to rejoin super-casino race
Appeal for rethink on Las Vegas-style venue Joanne Ginley LEEDS has appealed against the decision not to include it on a shortlist to house the UK's first Las Vegas-style casino and hopes it will be allowed back into the race.
A provisional shortlist of bidders for a super-casino was announced in May with the shortlist including Sheffield, Blackpool, Glasgow, and the Millennium Dome. Only one super-casino will initially be allowed and Leeds is hoping its appeal will be successful and it will be allowed onto the shortlist.
Yesterday the first in a series of public hearings into the merits of the venues bidding to host the UK's first super-casino opened with the Millennium Dome, in London, the first under the spotlight. Further hearings will be held around the country over the next fortnight in six other short-listed venues – Cardiff, Glasgow, Newcastle, Sheffield, Manchester and Blackpool.
Coun Andrew Carter, executive member for development with Leeds City Council, said: "We believe that a major new casino complex, with all the extra investment it could bring to Leeds, would be a massive regeneration boost to the city."
The authority say a casino has the potential to bring a substantial number of benefits. Depending on the size of any eventual development, this could include:
n Up to 4,000 new jobs;
n The generation up to 130m of new private sector investment for the Leeds economy;
n An estimated 2-3 million additional visitors per annum;
n A multi-million pound boost to regeneration efforts across some of the city's most deprived areas.
Separate plans are already being drawn-up for a 13,000 capacity arena and concert venue – but a super casino could be added to create a huge entertainment complex.
The council believes the city should be reconsidered because Leeds will link a casino with other regeneration activities and cultural facilities.
The city could also see major conference facilities developed as part of any new casino complex and argues there is plenty of demand with six million people living within one hour's drive.
Yesterday an Examination-in-Public took place in a central London hotel to scrutinise the bid by the Millennium Dome.
The Millennium Dome bid has been mired in controversy in recent months after Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott was found to have stayed at the ranch of Philip Anschutz, the owner of Anschutz Entertainment Group, which bought the Millennium Dome in 2002.
Mr Prescott has repeatedly insisted that he has not been involved in the casino application process and that AEG has received no preferential treatment.
Professor Stephen Crow, chairman of the Casino Advisory Panel, told yesterday's hearing its members were free of political and commercial interference, and the choice of the first super casino was not a "done deal", in spite of reports to the contrary.
"Is Greenwich a done deal for the regional casino? The answer to that question is no, I do not know how I can spell it out, it is N.O."
The Millennium Dome was the shortlist front-runner in the first round of judging released in July, just ahead of Glasgow and Blackpool.
joanne.ginley@ypn.co.uk
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