CAMBRIDGESHIRE'S Tory MP and gambling
spokesman Malcolm Moss, pictured, has attacked
the decision to award the "Las Vegas" style
super-casino to Manchester.
On Tuesday, the government's Casino Advisory
Panel produced a shock when they chose the
North-West City for the giant gaming centre
instead of the Millennium Dome in London and the
ailing seaside resort of Blackpool.
After Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell made her
statement to the House of Commons on the issue,
pledging strict controls, Mr Moss made clear his
reservations.
The North-East Cambridgeshire MP said: "Those
of us who thought that the process of
implementing the Gambling Act could not get any
worse are frankly astonished by this
announcement about the location of the
super-casino.
"How can one defend choosing the most
deprived and vulnerable area of Manchester to
test whether a super-casino that is open 24
hours a day, with free admission, will generate
an increase in problem gambling?
"If, as I expect, the order is rejected by
the House of Commons when it votes on the
recommendation, where will the Government go
from there?"
Mrs Jowell replied: "I take your words as a
contribution to the debate that we will have in
the next few weeks."
The decision is likely to face legal
challenges from the two defeated favourites.
