The Casino Advisory Panel has announced the provisional shortlist of successful proposals that will be taken forward for further evaluation and reminded the public that "national policy about casinos has already been decided."
The contenders for the single regional casino licence are: Blackpool; Brent; Cardiff; Glasgow; Greenwich; Manchester; Newcastle and Sheffield.
Meanwhile, Bath & NE Somerset; Bournemouth; Brighton; Canterbury; Chelmsford; Dartford; Dudley; Dumfries and Galloway; East Lindsey; Great Yarmouth; Hastings; Hull; Leeds; Leicester; Luton; Mansfield; Middlesbrough; Milton Keynes; Newham; NE Lincs; Peterborough; Restormel; Scarborough; Sefton; Solihull; Southampton; South Tyneside; Swansea; Thurrock; Torbay; and Wolverhampton will contest the eight large and eight small licences.
After an invitation in January for local authorities to submit proposals, the Panel initially received 68 formal proposals from local authorities, though one proposal was later withdrawn, leaving 67 to be considered.
Chairman of the Panel, Professor Stephen Crow, said: "I know that our decisions will cause disappointment to some, not least to authorities who had looked to their casino proposal as a means of alleviating severe problems of deprivation or even improving social conditions and meeting the need for economic regeneration.
“But the competition has been very strong, and so it is inevitable that some proposals, good enough though they may be in themselves, have to yield before more powerfully justified cases.
"As for those who have successfully accomplished this stage, they have further rigorous examination to undergo before the final decisions are made. The provisional shortlists are now to be the subject of consultation before finalisation.
“This will be the occasion for consultees (regional planning bodies, regional development agencies and comparable bodies in Wales and Scotland) to pass to the Panel any further views and for members of the public to express their opinions on the proposals, whether of opposition or support.
“Here the public is reminded that national policy about casinos has already been decided by Parliament. The help here that the Panel is requesting is for people’s views on the broad location of casinos.
"We would ask that any such representations be made to us by 28th June 2006. After this consultation, the Panel will further test the strength of selected competing proposals.
“This will be done either through the medium of public round-table conferences based on the method of examination-in-public (EiP) or through the examination and consideration of written representations and other material.
"EiPs are likely to take place from the end of August to the end of September and will be limited to proposals for the regional casino. Proposals for large and small casinos will be examined on the basis of written evidence."