HODGE Hill MP Liam Byrne has called for a casino to be built at the National Exhibition Centre ahead of a rival scheme involving a £200 million new stadium for Birmingham City.
But Mr Byrne insisted he was not sounding the death knell for the stadium scheme and called for the proceeds from the NEC casino to pay for the construction of the ground, earmarked for the Birmingham Wheels site.
"This proposal offers the best of both worlds," he said. "A casino at the NEC would bring jobs and revenue to the region and make the NEC even more attractive as a world-class conference and exhibition venue.
"With the money produced, the council have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build a community stadium that would change the landscape of east Birmingham, physically and economically."
Mr Byrne is the latest politician to speak out against including a casino in any new Blues ground.
Last month, Washwood Heath councillors Tariq Khan, Mohammed Idrees and Ansar Ali Khan issued a cross-party statement objecting to the scheme on moral and religious grounds.
They claimed a casino in a poverty-stricken inner city area close to housing would encourage young people on benefits to gamble and lead to increased crime.
