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Super casino crucial to NEC, warns councillor
Jan 7 2005
By Neil Connor, Birmingham Post
The National Exhibition Centre could face an uncertain future if a massive super casino is not built at the complex, council leaders in Solihull were told last night.
The warning was issued by Coun Robert Sleigh before Cabinet members backed proposals for an 800,000 sq ft complex which would include a casino operating under relaxed gaming laws which are being rolled out by the Government later this year.
The proposal, which was revealed in The Birmingham Post in September, represents one of a number of rival bids from Midland developers eager to cash in on the new laws.
Birmingham City Council and Birmingham City Football Club are in talks to build a super casino as part of a huge new multi-sports stadium in the Saltley area of the city.
The developers of Coventry's new sports arena are already building a casino in the complex's basement and Stanley Genting, owners of Star City - which currently houses the largest casino in the UK - have also expressed interest in securing a gambling licence along with the NEC's Hilton Hotel.
The £300 million scheme backed by councillors last night would include a hotel, restaurants, bars and sports facilities.
Coun Sleigh (Con Bickenhill), whose ward includes the NEC, said: "It is the issue of the sustainability of the NEC. The market is changing and the exhibition industry is not what it was ten years ago. A lot of people get their livelihood from the NEC so I'm bound to support schemes like this which will bring the NEC into the future."
The Post revealed last month that the NEC had whittled its shortlist of prospective developers to five.
It had been reported that the Midlands would only be given a licence for one super casino, as the Government would only initially allow eight to open across the UK.
The Government is likely to outline its requirements for bidders in the coming weeks and successful applications will be announced later in the year. Officials at Solihull said any planning or licensing permission required for the NEC scheme would be dealt with at a later date.
The five potential operators are: Ameristar, Harrahs (Caesars), MGM, UKMalaysian group Stanley Genting, and Sun International, a South African company.
