All 3 entries tagged Blackpool

Never work with children, animals or…

: 05 May 2007 19:09 |  Tags: Blackpool Gmtv Infusion Pleasure Beach Rollercoaster Video |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

It's raining shit in Blackpool

What the hell.

How on Earth did Manchester get Britain’s first super-casino? They’d given up and were supporting Blackpool. There’s practically no scope for regeneration. They’ve got a Commonwealth stadium. A massive expansion of the BBC. The Lowry. Imperial War Museum. The world’s greatest football club.

Blackpool has pigeons. And the world’s worst football club. It urgently needs some help.

And yet Manchester got the casino. It’s completely beyond explanation.

The real kick in the teeth comes from the fact that Manchester’s casino will be so close to Blackpool, the seaside resort has almost no chance of ever getting a large casino.

Cardiff put in a crap bid. Bookies had them at 50/1. Which when you read the document from the Casino Advisory Panel looks like shoddy odds. The Cardiff’s raison d’etre was completely rubbished, as was their aspiration to help London host the Olympics. And it gets worse – the government consultation was basically run out of Cardiff University.

It’s been a shocking day for the Council in Cardiff, so it’s no surprise the Leader was nowhere to be seen.

: 30 Jan 2007 23:57 |  Tags: Blackpool Cardiff Casino Gambling Manchester Rodney Berman Supercasino |  Comments (8) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Super–casinos

Today we find come closer to finding out where the country's first 'super–casino' will be built, along with the locations of a number of smaller casinos.

The front–runners for the main attraction appear to be Blackpool, the Millennium Dome or Cardiff.

Having visited all three (not specifically to check up on their need for a casino, I should point out), I hope it goes to the Dome.

The last thing Blackpool needs is another way for local people to throw money away. The place is pretty destitute in places, and I think the casino's main customers (if built there) will be people who really need to spend the money on something else. What's more, I don't see that a super–casino in Blackpool will be enough to attract some of the high–rollers, who might expect a little more than the grubby streets of the Fylde coast. It's not exactly Vegas.

Cardiff's a possibility, although the city feels very small and I wonder whether the poverty gap might be worsened with the ease–of–access that the casino will provide.

And then there's London. Personally, I hope the Casino goes to the Dome. Virtually the only way to get there is on the Tube (£6 for a one–day travelcard!), and it's much more likely to attract the high–rollers which will prevent it from turning into a high–class Mecca Bingo. While there's a lot of economic problems in parts of London, the city's big enough to insulate the effects that the casino will have. The high cost of travel acts as a deterrent too.

Coventry is one of the contenders, and I don't see why the city is applying. They claim it will 'bring growth' to the city, but I don't think they realise that beyond the low–wages the staff will be on, the casino is hardly likely to be Coventry–owned. The Gambling bill was only brought in to allow big US casinos a piece of the British market. What's more, a casino isn't exactly a status symbol. Coventry, Blackpool and to a lesser extent Cardiff, seem to think they're playing Game of Life, when actually they're going to be messing with the wellbeing of some of their most vulnerable residents.

: 24 May 2006 10:58 |  Tags: Blackpool Casinos Gambling News Politics |  Comments (2) |  Close comments |  Report a problem