Gambling expansion shelved

Monday, Oct. 7, 2002 | 9:51 a.m.

LONDON -- Plans to allow Las Vegas-style casino complexes to be built in Britain have been shelved by the government, the Sunday Times reported.

The proposal was expected to be unveiled next month, but has been dropped for the time being with insiders saying there is too little parliamentary time for it.

Delaying the plans will put on hold a planned revamp of the Blackpool district, where the entertainment company Leisure Parcs had planned to build Pharaoh's Palace, a 1,000-room hotel-casino.

Casinos would also have been allowed to offer slot machines with unlimited jackpots alongside traditional games such as roulette and blackjack. Restrictions on serving alcohol on playing floors and offering associated entertainment would have been lifted.

The changes have been opposed by church groups and Gamblers Anonymous, despite government promises that the industry would be more rigorously policed.

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