Casino has had its chips

A CASINO looks increasingly unlikely ever to be built. States members took the opportunity during yesterday's debate to express their doubts and concerns on the back of St Pierre Park backing out.

Commerce and Employment minister Stuart Falla said that the former Tourist Board wanted the prize of a substantial investment in a hotel - the cost was the casino licence.

'The prize is still worth the winning, but it most probably won't be in the form of a casino.'

Instead, other 'economic enablers' are being investigated, which might not need to come to the States if it is in the department's mandate.

'We are as open and we're willing to listen to anybody that comes along and says we'd like to make that investment, however, there's a cost, the cost of an economic enabler.'

St Pierre Park Hotel's original scheme would have cost £25m. and included a total refurbishment and 35 extra rooms.

'There is a mistaken belief this development attached to St Pierre Park Hotel was going to be a James Bond-type casino.

'The drawing we saw at Commerce and Employment did not seem to be James Bond-style.'

The hotel proposed reducing the scale before eventually pulling the plug.

'I can assure this House, because I saw the drawings, that the reduced scheme was not £17m., but nearly half the value of the £25m.'

Although it was never costed, Deputy Falla used his experience in the construction industry to estimate the value.

'There were no additional rooms, it was not to be fully refurbished, in fact, it would have been a reduction in rooms.'

The department would bring any casino proposals back to the House if interested parties came forward.

Home minister Mike Torode strongly questioned whether a casino would be successful in the island, especially with their prevalence in the UK.

'I don't believe it's necessary, I don't believe it's a welcome thing and, frankly, if it comes back to the States, I will vote against it.'

He said St Pierre Park tried to wriggle on the cost of licensing, but if it had been changed, it would not have been fair on the original tenderers.

Deputy Graham Guille said the island got away with a very narrow squeak because a considerable amount of space was going to be given to one-arm bandits.

'I ask how long it would be before we saw the proliferation of these items?'

Strongly against gambling, Deputy Bernard Flouquet said the developer obviously saw the light of day.

He added that visitors to a casino would not be tourists, but residents.

'I will not go into the social problems that causes.'

Deputy Mary Lowe said that the biggest mistake was not having a payback clause in the contract if it was not fulfilled and she wanted the department to go out to tender for a casino again.

Describing the while situation as a 'sorry saga', Deputy Rhoderick Matthews appealed to the department to produce a modified scheme to allow carefully controlled gambling in a number of casinos under more than one operator.

The House accepted Home Department proposals to suspend the Gambling Commission for the foreseeable future because the casino plans had stalled.

It also agreed that the £100,000 loan from the States used in its setting up, which was going to be repaid through the casino's licence fees, was now unlikely to be repaid.