February 24, 2008 - You've probably heard by now
about Prime Minister Gordon Brown's decision to nix the
original UK Gambling Act, or as some would say, revise
the provisions governing ten planned brick 'n mortar
casinos. Instead of the original plan calling for eight
small casinos, eight medium casinos and one super casino
(which was slated to go up in Manchester), PM Brown nixed
the super casino altogether and refined the eight
medium-sized casinos into small casinos. In other words,
there's nothing monumental about the UK Gambling Act. It
essentially calls for more of the same.
Hey, I'm not one to complain. At least PM Brown didn't pull a Bush and veto
everything. If anyone has a right to be up in arms over PM Brown's maneuvers
it's the city of Manchester. Selected to be the home of the one Las Vegas sized
super casino primarily because of its capacity to draw visitors while at the
same time being a prime candidate for regenerating a struggling economy.
Although a final decision regarding the super casino has not been given just
yet (it's due later this week), Manchester city officials are on record saying
they will do everything within their legal power to keep PM Brown from getting
his way. One such course of action will be to recover the 250 million the city
has already invested in the super casino. And never mind the fact that the UK
government is speculated to dish out hundreds of millions in pounds sterling to
Manchester.
Council officials have already held legal counsel, and just as soon as the
final decision is given could very well retaliate with a swift blow. What is
this a heavyweight boxing match? But seriously, Manchester has been working its
tail off not only in applying for the super casino, but mainly in preparation
for the real deal. Is PM Brown just bluffing to help to appease the anti-casino
crowd, or does he really think a super casino in Manchester is a bad thing? I
personally think it's the latter. Get your ties and heels on. It's time to go to
court.
Originally published:
February,
2008 | Categories:
Gambling
