Bath one step closer to opening a new gambling casino

It would seem that the likelihood of a gambling casino opening in Bath is almost assured after councillors of the Bath and North East Somerset met recently to discuss plans on how to best move ahead in not only finding a suitable casino gaming site but also a suitable developer to embark on the project. There have already been prospective casino gaming operators contacting the local council to register their interest and only one of the prospective gambling casino operators will be selected.

It certainly wasn’t a landslide victory for those councillors that voted to move ahead with plans to introduce a gambling casino to Bath, in fact there were 34 to 32 in favour of casino gaming and there were 6 voters who abstained. Those in favour see the gambling casino as an asset to the City of Bath encouraging further tourism and making the City a more attractive destination to the cosmopolitan traveller. Those against the prospect of casino gaming being brought to the City are concerned that there will be an increased danger to those susceptible to the excesses of drink, drugs and gambling and in particular casino gaming with a detrimental effect on the family of those affected.

The discussions of course have been rumbling for some time as to whether the arrival of casino gaming would be a good or a bad thing for the City of Bath, and certainly in the Bath local press there are mixed feelings. Bath Councillors estimate that the extra revenue generated by the introduction of a gambling Casino to Bath could stimulate the local economy to the tune of £5 million and create around 200 extra jobs for local people. There are already an estimated 3.8 million day visitors to the city a year, and those in favour of the gambling casino are hoping that the addition of casino gaming to the vast array of other tourist attractions, such as the historical Roman baths, the new Thermae Bath Spa, stunning architecture, shops, theatres and restaurants will increase the visitor numbers greatly.