LAST ROLL OF THE DICE FOR CASINO
A casino which promised to bring a touch of Las Vegas glamour when it opened is closing because of changes to the gaming law and the introduction of the smoking ban.
The company, which runs the Triangle Casino in Bristol, announced it was looking to close it, with the loss of 31 jobs.
Gambling giant Genting Stanley said changes to the law and the downturn in the economy had led to a cost- cutting drive which was likely to mean 120 job losses and the closure of two casinos.
The Clifton casino opened in February, 2004, to a fanfare of publicity but the owners Stanley were taken over by a Malaysian firm two years later in a deal worth more than £600 million.
Genting Stanley said it had looked at every possible way of balancing books but has been forced into announcing the review of its staffing levels.
Workers at the Triangle and at a casino in Luton were warned to brace themselves for redundancy.
Executive deputy chairman Peter Brooks said: "The new gaming taxes the Government introduced last year without any consultation with the industry has had a big impact on our business.
"The casino industry has also been hit by the global economic downturn, as well as the smoking ban and the loss of some gaming machines.
"We have sought to control costs right across our business but have concluded, with the greatest reluctance, that we need to take further action."
2008-05-28
