UK Gambling Bill Set to Become Law – April 16th, 2005

The UK Gambling Bill has been approved by the House of Lords after the government scaled down plans for eight regional “super-casinos” to just one.

It completed all its Lords stages a week last Wednesday and is set to become law when it returns to the Commons later. The bill appeared doomed until Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell struck a deal with Tories to create just one casino. The bill was approved just prior to parliament being dissolved for the forthcoming UK General Election.

Liberal Democrat Lord Greaves said if the single “super-casino” was going to be created in Blackpool, as reports have suggested, he did not believe there would be “dancing in the streets”. He said if the Lancashire seaside town was selected, the local council should first hold a referendum to gauge the public’s views.

The Gambling Bill – which was given a third reading without a vote – will allow casinos to open 24-hours-a-day with unlimited jackpots.

It will also introduce compulsory age checks on gambling websites, set up a new Gambling Commission to police the industry and create a new offence of permitting a child to gamble.