The United Kingdom is seeing increasing liberalization of
the casino business; visits to United Kingdom casinos
topped 11 million last year and seem set to increase
further in coming years, buoyed by changes in the law
which will see many new casinos built, including a
so-called "supercasino," the location of which
has still to be decided. There are also increasing numbers
of casinos in the regions of the country, such as Scotland
and Wales, a national lottery, a thriving sports betting
sector, and online gambling, which is increasingly popular
with Britons. This diversification is expected to continue
in the coming years.
Until recently, United Kingdom casinos required
visitors to apply for membership at least 24 hours in
advance of playing; this could be done in person or in
writing (or e-mail), and required the customer to provide
a name and address, as well as two forms of
identification, at least one of which must carry a photo.
This requirement was designed to prevent
"impulse" gambling, but was widely agreed to be
outdated and was discontinued in 2005.
Under Britain's Gambling Act of 2005, there will be
three classes of new casinos, small, large, and
(initially) one "supercasino." These classes of
casinos are differentiated by their floor size and
customer capacity, and also by the numbers of slot
machines that they will hold: up to 80 slot machines for
small casinos, and up to 150 slot machines for large
casinos, both with a maximum jackpot of £4,000. These
will be sited in cities throughout the country, using
criteria including the impact on the local community and
the potential for urban regeneration. This also applies to
the single "supercasino," which will probably be
located in the Millennium Dome in London, though this has
yet to be confirmed. The supercasino would hold up to
1,250 slot machines with unlimited jackpots, potentially
making it Europe's largest casino.
Apart from London, which currently has over 20 casinos,
there are other United Kingdom casinos spread throughout
the country. The largest United Kingdom casino is the Star
City in Birmingham, which has 46 table games and over 200
slot machines. In all, there are over 140 casinos and
related gambling facilities in Britain, though this is set
to rise under the new rules. There is also a long
tradition of sports betting, principally on horse racing
and soccer, and the growth of online betting has seen the
United Kingdom fast catching some of its European
neighbors in the betting stakes.
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