There was further ammunition for the Government’s critics over the Gambling Bill after Times Online revealed the full extent of planning applications that have already been made by casino operators across the country.
Tessa Jowell, the Culture Secretary, has repeatedly insisted that she does not expect any more than 40 so-called “super-casinos” to open following the liberalisation of the law.
She believes that the new Gambling Commission, local authorities, regional planning boards as well as market forces, will all combine to keep the numbers down.
But critics have said that the Government’s failure to introduce a statutory cap mean there is nothing to prevent hundreds opening across the country. Government sources were hinting at the weekend that the statutory bar could be placed at 20,