While Monmouthshire County Councillors agreed at their October meeting to maintain a block on casinos their counterparts in Torfaen Borough Council will continue with the approach, they’ve taken since 2019, that any such application should be considered on its own merits.
Legislation allows the the Casino Advisory Panel to permit eight large and eight small casinos across the UK, and councils are required to have a policy should an application be made, though there is currently no provision for any further casinos to be allocated.
For a casino to be approved an area would have to be identified, by the advisory panel, as in need of regeneration.
The local policies are intended to prevent gambling from being a source of crime or disorder or being associated with or supporting crime as well as ensuring gambling is conducted in a fair and open way, and children and other vulnerable people are protected from being harmed or exploited.
Casinos established before the 2005 legislation operate under “grandfather rights”.
