Britain readying for casinos

November 1

Today in London, Legislation that would permit big casinos, similar to the ones we see in Las Vegas, to operate in Britain cleared an important Parliamentary landmark.

Lawmakers in Britain voted 286 to 212 to support the gambling bill and send it to a unique House of Commons committee for further examination. The bill faces a long journey through Parliament's upper and lower chambers and further votes, the government is hopeful that it will become law by mid 2005.

Industry giants like Caesars Entertainment Inc. and MGM Mirage Inc., have been sitting on pins and needles waiting for the outcome the reforms, if all goes well, casinos will be permitted to have slot machines with unlimited jackpots.

Opposition to the bill includes lawmakers from the Labour Party, who voted against the legislation, announcing that it would lead to an influx of huge casino complexes.

But in a rather long debate leading to Monday's vote, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell persisted that Britain's old and very out dated gaming laws need to be updated to fit with modern times.

Within England's 1968 Gaming Act, casinos are permitted to run as private members' clubs and those gambling in them must apply for membership 24 hours before they can even go to the clubs. Recently, rules banning live entertainment and alcohol served at gaming tables have been revoked, still, the clubs are restricted to eight slot machines, with a 90 cent (American), 50 pence (British)maximum wager and jackpots limited to $3,600 (American), 2,000 pounds (British).

The new legislation lifts the 24-hour rule, allowing casinos bigger in size than 53,820 sq. ft. to  install as many as 1,250 slot machines with that have unlimited bets and jackpots.

The next step is for the bill to be handed over to a designated committee of lawmakers for further development, before facing a further vote in the Commons. After that, the proposed gambling bill will be argued and voted on by the House of Lords.