New casino will not open for two years

A long-awaited new casino in Wolverhampton cannot open for at least another two years, it emerged today.

Council bosses in the city will take until spring 2011 to review their gambling policy.

Until then no-one can apply for the licence to run a small casino in the city. And they will have to decide whether or not to allocate £100,000 to take the idea forward. Wolverhampton City Council was one of 16 authorities to be granted permission for a casino in 2007.

It came on the back of the planned Manchester "super" casino, which was scrapped in early 2008.

The most likely place for Wolverhampton's casino is Wolverhampton Racecourse at Dunstall Park.

Bosses have been waiting for the opportunity to create the casino as part of a £23million extension since 2007 and had even hoped to be open some time in 2009.

If approved it would be the country's first combined racecourse and casino and has been dubbed a "racino".

Council regeneration officer Ruth Taylor said: "The council's statement of gambling policy will need to be revised to outline the principles and weightings the council will adopt for the competition process.

"The policy has recently undergone a statutory review.

"As such it is proposed to review the policy again this summer to include these weightings and principles.

"Following a six-month consultation it is envisaged that the revision would be agreed by full council in spring 2011.

"It is anticipated that the delivery of the casino premises licence process will take in the region of two years to complete.

"There is a tremendous amount of work to be done before we even reach stage one of the process and it is acknowledged that this will be very challenging.

"Given the potential benefits that may flow from the award of a licence, it is to be expected that the operators will be very aggressive in promoting their interests," she added.

The casino would be allowed 80 slot machines and £4,000 prizes.