Bates will be laughing then......................
LONDON Clubs International has ceased trading at its Alea Leeds venue
following the company's decision to withdraw from the race to run a
large casino in the city.
LCI, which operated the casino from a large venue at Clarence Dock, said
the decision to withdraw from the licensing process highlighted
"frustrations with the pace of change within the UK gaming industry".
The decision affects almost 100 employs at Alea Leeds and a redundancy
consulation programme has started.
A spokeswoman for LCI said the decision meant all operations within the
casino - including celebrity chef James Martin's The Leeds Kitchen and
The Bird Vineet - would also close.
Roy Ramm, governance and public affairs director at London Clubs
International, said: “Our initial commercial concerns have been caused
by the failure of successive governments to provide or seek to provide a
fair regulatory and commercially viable operating environment for the
terrestrial casino industry.
"We work really hard to provide safe, adult leisure and entertainment
venues and real careers for the people who work for us, but government
policy towards the industry does not seem to acknowledge those efforts
or recognise or promote the industry as a safe and legitimate element of
the leisure and tourism sector, providing jobs and investment in the UK.
“We made a significant investment into Alea when it opened in 2008 and
have continued to support the business through difficult times for
Clarence Dock, but during the bid process we became aware of the full
extent of the additional investment sought by the Council in order to
win the new licence and it has become clear to us that this additional
financial burden is unsustainable.
"It is with great regret that we are also suspending trading our
existing casino business in the city, but current trading conditions in
the Clarence Dock development have made this outcome inevitable.”
The licence on offer from Leeds City Council is one of eight available
across the country and will have a minimum area of 1,000 sq m and up to
150 slot machines with a maximum jackpot of £4,000.
Alea Leeds's withdrawal from the process means there are now two
competitors left: Leeds United and Global Gaming Ventures.
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