The Revival of Gaming in Bath
The Council's Bid to Licence a Small Casino
The Opportunity
The Gambling Act 2005 allows three new types of casino to
operate in Britain.
- 1 regional (or 'super casino') - Minimum customer are
5,000m2
- 8 large - minimum customer area 1,500m2
- 8 small - minimum customer area
750m2
The Government has established an independent Casino Advisory
Panel to assess bids from Local Authorities wishing to licence one
of the new casinos. For more details see the Casino Advisory
website under 'further information' below.
Our Bid
The Council has submitted a bid to be able to licence a small
casino, with Bath seen as the most appropriate location. We
envisage a high quality, well managed and regulated facility
appropriate to the character and quality of the City.
In May 2006, the Council learned that it was one of the 31
Authorities short-listed.
In August 2006, the Council were asked to submit additional,
supplementary information to support the original
bid.
The Concept for Bath
The concept for a casino in Bath aims to help take forward the
Future for Bath Vision by
- Re-establishing Bath's gaming tradition
- Providing a small casino - total size perhaps of around 900 -
1000m2 (similar to Bath Habitat Store)
- Ensuring distinctiveness and high quality, with an
emphasis on gaming tables
- Linking the casino to other attractions as part of the overall
'Bath offer'
The Future for Bath Vision
The Vision seeks to draw on the City's past to establish a basis
for:
Revitalising:
| History |
Living heritage |
| Water and healing |
Health and wellbeing |
| Pleasure |
Fun and enjoyment |
| Beauty and style |
Creativity and design |
| Knowledge and invention |
Smart city |
Bath is facing major challenges, including:-
- Competition from other cities both in the uk and worldwide
- Falling visitor numbers
- Buildings and environmental quality require
investment
The Role of a Casino
The style of casino proposed, small in scale with the emphasis
on gaming tables, fits well with the City's status as an
international visitor destination. It would enable Bath to
- Broaden the range of attractions and facilities offered by the
City
- Help develop a mature evening economy
- Draw on the European model of spa towns associated with
inspirational architecture, fine parks and gardens, casinos and
other leisure and cultural facilities
- Act as a catalyst for wider regeneration
- Provide a financial injection to the local economy - approx £5m
P.A.
- Strengthen the attraction of the City's east-west axis from
Pulteney Bridge and river to Kingsmead Square and onto Bath Western
Riverside, taking in the Abbey, Roman Baths and Spa
Potential Sites
A site for a small high quality casino has not yet been decided.
However, there are several options,
Click here
to view a map of potential sites for casinos (opens in new
window)
Selection Process
The Casino Advisory Panel is open to comments on the broad
locations for the new casinos until 28th June 2006.
The short-listed bids will be scrutinised during the summer of
2006. The Panel will make their final recommendations to the
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in December
2006.
Should Bath and North East Somerset Council be successful, an
appropriate operator would be selected through an open, competitive
process.
Further Information
For further information please see the Casino Advisory Panel's
Website http://www.culture.gov.uk/cap
A copy of Bath's bid is available on this site at http://www.culture.gov.uk/cap/proposals/bath.pdf
For a hard copy of the bid, or if you have any further
questions, please contact
Alice Marsh - Policy & Projects Officer, Economic
Development Tel: 01225 477509 or e-mail alice_marsh@bathnes.gov.uk
