Belfast Telegraph – Moves to clear the way for the first casino to be built in Northern Ireland are expected to advance next year.
Representatives of one Europe’s biggest gaming companies and Belfast City councillors have already had exploratory discussions over a multimillion-pound complex which would also include restaurants and a hotel.
Up to 200 jobs could be created, it has been claimed.
Northern Ireland’s gambling laws do not have provision for the opening of a purpose-built casino, but the UK-based Rank Group, which manages 55 casinos across Britain, has confirmed possible plans for one in Belfast.
Dan Waugh, Rank Group’s strategy director, met Sinn Fein, Alliance and SDLP councillors earlier this month. He is due to have private talks with Ulster Unionist and DUP representatives at City Hall early next year when a model of the complex will be displayed as part of a presentation.
He said discussions had proved positive, but admitted he appreciated the sensitivities surrounding attempts to set up in a city where there are no roulette wheels or blackjack tables.
He said: “We want to determine whether or not there is an appetite for a change in the Northern Ireland legislation which would eventually allow for a strictly regulated and monitored gaming operation to anchor a broader entertainment centre with cinema, restaurants, bars and possibly a hotel, the likes of which are prevalent in most major cities in Europe.”
In terms of gambling legislation, the city council provides licences only for amusement arcades. It would be up to Nelson McCausland’s Department of Social Development to change the laws, but if legislation is allowed for the development of an entertainment centre including a casino, Mr Waugh says he envisages an operation which would create up to 200 full-time equivalent skilled posts.
“We are designing a prototype model specifically for Belfast and this would include all the components mentioned, create up to 200 skilled jobs and generate significant economic benefits through taxes and business rates.”
