Viva London?

Dave Haste
By Dave Haste Last edited 214 months ago
Viva London?
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So yesterday we heard that two of the eight short-listed sites for Britain’s proposed ‘super-casino’ are in London. Pitching East against West (not for the first time), the Millennium Dome and Wembley Stadium are competing for their own jackpot – the casino will undoubtedly rake in mountains of cash.

Of course, following yesterday’s shortlist announcement, the inevitable hysteria was kick-started this morning on the front page of the Daily Mail, who have unsurprisingly chosen to take a typically hypocritical stance on the matter:

Gambling addiction is worsening. The charity GamCare reports a 41 per cent increase in victims seeking help. So what do our socialist rulers do? Despite the public furore, they push for even more casinos than they said they would. And we now learn that the quango they appointed to decide where those casinos will go doesn't want to hear from local people worried about addiction.

Interesting. Despite usually being opposed to the perceived ‘nanny state’, it seems that the anus of all tabloid rags now thinks that the public cannot be trusted to know how to spend their own money. Geez – make up your mind, will you?

Of course, neither of the prospective London venues are strangers to controversy, so it’s possible that they will simply ignore the tabloids’ shrill indignant shrieking (why do we always imagine that the Daily Mail speaks with the voice of a self-righteous middle-aged woman?).

We’re actually quite excited at the prospect of a big glitzy shrine to gambling adding to our city’s varied attractions. But then again, we’ve always been somewhat transfixed by bright lights and ostentatious shiny things. We’re probably a bit like moths or magpies in that respect. Ahem.

But what about you? Do you want London to be home to Britain’s first ‘super-casino’, or would you rather it was located far far away in one of the six other proposed cities (Cardiff, Blackpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield or Glasgow)? And if you want to see it in London, do you think it rightfully belongs in the potentially-never-completed Wembley Stadium or the perennially spurned Millennium Dome?

Last Updated 26 May 2006