Stanley to build UK's biggest casino

Stanley Leisure, Britain's largest casino operator, yesterday announced it has won a license to build the country's largest gaming centre.

The new casino, to be called Stanley Star City, will be located in Birmingham and will open next summer.

Stanley Leisure is believed to have invested £5m in launching the 40,000ft casino, which will have 40 gaming tables.

The move comes as the casino industry is in the throes of deregulation, which will give UK leisure companies the chance to create much larger gaming centres with higher jackpots and other types of entertainment on site. Stanley Leisure, which has 40 casinos across Britain, has been building its casino operations through acquisitions. This month, it bought five casinos, including two in Birmingham, for $44m (£28m).

Stanley Leisure, which is based in Liverpool, applied for a licence to build a mega-casino in September 2000 and has been granted it because of changes that will be implemented to gaming rules in the next 12 months.

It is also priming its casino in Manchester for further changes to take advantage of the new rules.

The rule change was inspired by the Budd Report, ordered by the Government to consider whether it would be appropriate to relax laws such as requirement that customers have to join the casino 24 hours before they want to use it. This law is due to be overturned by Parliament next year, along with a relaxation of the rule that customers are not allowed to be served drinks at the game table.

Bob Wiper, the chief executive of Stanley Leisure, said: "The Stanley Star City will be the UK's largest casino and, along with its sister sites, the China Palace and the Midland Wheel, will put Birmingham firmly on the map as a destination gaming city."

The company's shares fell 0.5p to 366p. They have gained 53 per cent this year.