Glasgow, West Dumbartonshire and Midlothian are in the midst of a battle to win permission to host the so-called “Las Vegas of the north” at possible sites including the banks of the Clyde, Ibrox Stadium or south of the Edinburgh bypass.
Applications have come in from across the UK – 68 in total – as local authorities battle it out for permission to host the new casinos legalised under the Gambling Act, Three other Scottish authorities, Dumfries and Galloway, Renfrewshire and Falkirk, have all submitted their applications for smaller casinos.
The arrival of Las Vegas-style casinos in the UK has sparked fierce controversy with The Salvation Army rallying individuals up and down the country to write letters of opposition to their local councillors.
Now the Church of Scotland has added its voice to a chorus of opposition from church and civil groups, warning that the new casinos will encourage addictive gambling and crime.A Church of Scotland spokesman told the Scotsman: “One consequence of the liberalisation of the UK's gambling laws has been to widen the availability of gambling and therefore increase the number of people involved in this activity.
"This could lead to an increased number of people developing an addiction to gambling," said the spokesman.
The single super-casino will see the introduction of £1 million jackpots and a gaming capacity of 4,000 unlimited jackpot slot machines.
The eight large casinos and eight small casinos will each have a maximum slot-machine jackpot of £4,000.
While casino supporters, including Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell, argue that the new law will bring greater investment to areas in need of redevelopment, the Church of Scotland went on to warn of the social devastation that can come from gambling addiction.
“From its pastoral and caring work, the Church is well aware of the grief that such an addiction causes individuals and families, a grief that can often end both in financial ruin and relationship ruin,” said the Kirk spokesman.
Therefore, any plan to widen access to gambling and to attract custom through ever-larger prizes would cause the Church great concern."
Opposition has also come from MSPs, including Bruce Crawford, SNP MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, who said he was “very concerned about the potential social consequences and the problems of increased gambling”. He referred to studies that had shown that people living within 50 miles of a casino are twice as likely to develop a gambling habit.
