Competition for “super-casino” was hard-won
The announcement that UK gaming operator Aspers will build a “super-casino” in Southampton is being slammed as the “wrong decision” for the city, according to the Southampton Daily Echo. Opponents scoffed at an offer by the operator to invest £50,000 (US$70,390) per year in problem gambling programs, calling it “tokenism” and “a drop in the ocean.”
Aspers beat out four other firms came including Global Gaming Ventures, Grosvenor and Kymeira to win the license, the last of its kind to be issued in the UK. It will be a centerpiece of the £450 million Royal Pier waterfront complex, which will also contain 50 shops, 730 homes, offices, bars, restaurants, a hotel and spa, and entertainment venues.
Honorary City Alderman and former Conservative Councilor Peter Baillie said, “While it is good news that 200 jobs are being created, they will be created out of hundreds and thousands of people in the city getting into debt that they can’t afford because they have gambled it away. This is not what the city needs for its cohesion. I think ultimately it’s the wrong decision for the city.”
Minister Paul Webber added, “The sad reality is that many people don’t improve their life by gambling if they win—it’s a lure that doesn’t satisfy. They can be landed with severe debt and addiction.”
But Matt Tucker, chairman of Southampton City Council’s licensing committee, told the BBC the casino will be a welcome addition to the city.
“The regeneration of the waterfront at Royal Pier and Mayflower Park has been a longstanding aspiration for the city,” he said. “The casino will play a big part in making the redevelopment happen.” Tucker said the project will create at least 180 new jobs, and the gaming authority will receive at least 2 percent of gross gaming revenues.
In addition to its existing operations at Westfield Stratford in London and Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire, Aspers also operates gaming halls in Newcastle and Northampton.
