Industry Gambles on UK

Britain is now preparing to change its laws to allow the opening up of Las Vegas-style casinos. Even so, compared with counterparts in many other rich nations, relatively few Britons visit such institutions.

Most people looking to have a flutter have to buy a lottery ticket, bet online, join the white-haired brigade at the local bingo hall or brave the slightly unsavory surroundings of high-street bookmakers or amusement arcades.

"Only something like two to three percent of British adults have ever been to a casino," said Professor Peter Collins, director for the study of gambling and commercial gaming at Salford University, northern England. In France, for example, the number is much higher than that - a bit more like 30 percent.

But change is in the wind. Proposed reforms aim to scrap existing rules requiring casinos to be private clubs that any would-be gamblers must wait 24 hours to join. They would also be able to advertise their services and offer live entertainment, betting, bingo and more slot machines alongside table games to widen their appeal.

And bigger is better in the eyes of the government, which announced earlier this month that new casinos would have to have a gaming area of at least 450 sq. meters to discourage small high-street competing venues.

The casinos' share of the British gaming market is currently only about one fifteenth, or 500 million Euro (US$800 million), but is likely to soar to about 4 billion Euro given favourable reforms, estimates Collins.

Foreign players are already looking to get in on the action, even though the proposed legislation, due to be presented to parliament towards the end of the year, is not expected to become law for several years yet.

US operators Harrah's Entertainment and Rival MGM Mirage are already tapping local knowledge through partnerships with British peers, and some operators are reportedly looking to combine the appeal of gambling with another addictive pastime: football. Gambling operators have apparently approached several English clubs including Manchester United and Chelsea about teaming up to open casinos on their grounds.