Jowell signals crackdown on unlicensed gambling
The Government is to crackdown on unlicensed gambling in an attempt to protect vulnerable young people.
The Secretary of State for Culture, Tessa Jowell, said yesterday she hoped to have laws on the statute books by 2006, with a new bill before Parliament by the end of this year.
The Culture Secretary views the existing framework for gambling as anachronistic and sees an urgent need for new legislation.
The Bill will “always put the interests of children and vulnerable players first, second and third,” the Minister said.
The new plans, a response to a report from a cross-party committee of MPs and peers on the draft Gambling Bill, could see a ban on the conspicuous and easily accessible low-payout fruit machines at some 6,000 unlicensed premises, such as fish and chip shops and minicab offices.
The Government accepted 121 out of 139 recommendations from the Joint Scrutiny Committee.
Councils, under the plans, could receive new powers to decline planning permission for new casinos.
The Culture Secretary is keen to have non-gambling “chill-out” rooms at large casinos and small casinos will be banned from offering bingo.
The crackdown on certain aspects of gambling also comes with a new liberalisation.
Ms Jowell is also set to allow the introduction of unlimited jackpots in big casinos.
Despite, the new rules, Roy Fisher, Blackpool council leader, said “regional” resort casinos represented a real opportunity to provide “a unique tool for regeneration.”
Blackpool is working hard to win the right to build a multimillion pound Las Vegas-style resort casino.
Separately, US firm Las Vegas Sands yesterday confirmed it was in talks with football clubs, Glasgow Rangers and Sheffield United, on building £200 million gambling and entertainment complexes near the stadiums.
