Gambling on Regeneration & The Casino Economy

People outside the regeneration community (and many on the inside !) may have found themselves, at the very least, bemused by recent announcements on the proposed siting of a "Super Casino" in Manchester. The overriding reason cited for this decision was the regeneration case put forward by local agencies in Manchester. However, the matter isn't over as Parliament has to have a say (for a change).

Outside Parliament, there has been an earnest debate on whether gambling constitutes a regeneration activity, representing as it does for some, particularly from religious communities, precisely the opposite : a sure route, for many, not to "regeneration" but to the "other place".

However, such sentiments hold little sway with Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Ms Tess "The Italian Job" Jowell. "The Italian Job" here being a reference to Ms Jowell's (?ex) husband's business dealings with folks in that country. Surely Ms Jowell should be wise to dubious financial undertaking by now, but not a bit of it, as the costs of London 2012 also show. With Gordon Brown as Chancellor, and probably the next prime minister, we have veritably entered the era of the "Casino Economy", but, perhaps, not many people know that, yet !