A ‘victory for local communities’ was heralded today by the Evangelical Alliance, as Andy Burnham MP, Secretary for Culture, Media and Sport, announced to Parliament that plans for super casinos will not go ahead.
27 February 2008
A ‘victory for local communities’ was heralded today by the Evangelical Alliance, as Andy Burnham MP, Secretary for Culture, Media and Sport, announced to Parliament that plans for super casinos will not go ahead.
The Evangelical Alliance, in its submissions, has repeatedly asked for more casino safeguards to protect children and the vulnerable and is delighted that the Government has adopted many of these measures today in Parliament. These include restrictions on credit cards, alcohol and cash machines in casinos and the provision of non-gambling chill out zones.
Gareth Wallace, Parliamentary Officer for the Evangelical Alliance, said: “Over the last four years the Government’s proposals on super casinos have gone from an unlimited number, down to one and now today, down to none. This is a victory for local communities and the vulnerable in society and is a tribute to the pressure placed on the Government by campaigning journalists and concerned church groups.”
Mr Wallace continued: “We also welcome the Government’s commitment to ensuring that the £10 billion per year gambling industry annually donates £4 million towards the cost of rebuilding the broken lives of problem gamblers. However, the minister failed to address the elephant in the room, the liberalisation of gambling advertising that runs entirely contrary to this welcome statement abandoning super casinos.”
Dr Marijke Hoek, from the Evangelical Alliance’s Greater Manchester City Fellowship, said: “Andy Burnham said that many in Manchester will be disappointed with this decision, but I for one, and many of my friends and colleagues in Manchester, are delighted”
The Evangelical Alliance will once again contribute constructively to the necessary additional scrutiny that will now follow.
Media Contact:
Lucy Cooper
Evangelical Alliance
020 7207 2107
l.cooper@eauk.org
Notes to editors:
The Evangelical Alliance, formed in 1846, is the largest body serving evangelical Christians in the UK, and has a membership including denominations, churches, organisations and individuals. The mission of the Evangelical Alliance is to unite evangelicals to present Christ credibly as good news for spiritual and social transformation. According to a Tearfund survey (Churchgoing in the UK, 2007), there are approximately 2 million evangelical Christians in the UK. For more information, go to www.eauk.org
