Swansea council plans new casino licence despite Aspers closure

Aspers hoped to attract 10,000 people a week when it opened in September 2007

A new casino is still due to be licensed in Swansea, despite plans by an existing venue to close with the loss of 100 jobs.

Aspers says its casino in Wind Street is no longer commercially viable and has begun consultation with staff.

Swansea was one of 16 local authorities to be granted a new casino licence under legislation passed in 2005.

The council said was "keen to maximise the regeneration potential" that a casino could bring to the city.

The 2005 Gambling Act paved the way for a new wave of casinos much larger than those currently previously allowed, but licensed only in selected areas.

Aspers, which opened its £13m Swansea casino in 2007, said it wanted to bid for a licence under the new legislation but it had not yet been put out for tender.

Chief operating officer Richard Noble said that following a review of its operations, the present casino "does not seem to be commercially viable".

He said: "For five years now we have eagerly awaited the opportunity to bid for the licence which would have allowed us to operate a much more viable and enhanced customer experience with a wider offer than a typical casino.

"Unfortunately, the licence has still not been issued for tender. Of course, we have also been battling against extremely challenging trading conditions for the last few years as a result of the downturn in the economy.

"Combined, these factors have led us to the difficult decision to consult on the closure of the Swansea site."

Mr Noble said the casino's staff would be involved in the consultation and should it close, there would be redeployment opportunities at other branches.

Aspers was the biggest casino in Wales when it opened its doors in September 2007.

It was expected to attract 10,000 people a week gambling £4.5m over the course of its first year.

Regeneration boost

Despite the closure announcement by Aspers, Swansea council said it would press on with its intention to licence a new casino under the 2005 legislation.

In a statement, it said: "The council is keen to maximise the regeneration potential that a small casino licence can bring to the city.

"Swansea is one of 16 local authorities to have been granted a casino licence. At present only two of the 16 authorities have awarded licences to operators.

"In Swansea, much has been achieved in preparation for awarding a licence to a potential operator. This includes amending the council's existing gambling policy."

The council said a draft application pack to attract interest from the industry had been produced and would be presented to the local authority's cabinet for approval later in the year.

The 2005 legislation allowed for three new types of casino - the super-casino, large casino, and small casino - all of them much larger than allowed under previous legislation.

Swansea is one of eight authorities allowed to license a small casino, with up to 80 slot machines - four times the number allowed in existing casinos and with jackpots of £4,000.

Eight authorities will be allowed to license large casinos with up to 150 slot machines.

Plans for super-casinos offering 1,250 unlimited-jackpot slot machines were scaled down and eventually scrapped in 2008 in the face of opposition from gambling addition charities and others who claimed it was an inappropriate way to regenerate rundown communities.