THE Government denied claims of a humiliating climbdown over its Gambling Bill after announcing yesterday that it is to limit the number of Las Vegas-style casinos to eight.

Casino operators reacted with fury as Richard Caborn, the Culture Minister, told MPs that the change of policy would provide “additional reassurance to those who prefer a more cautious approach.

“We always made it very, very clear we were going to consult,” he told the House of Commons committee examining the new Bill.

Eight super-casinos will provide up to 10,000 extra slot machines with unlimited payouts for customers, but those in the gaming industry said that the cap was arbitrary and the Government’s policy vague.

Bob Wiper, chief executive of Stanley Leisure, the largest casino operator in Britain, said that the industry still faced too many unanswered questions. “There is a lack of clarity. What’s so magical about eight, given there are nine regions in England? Where are these things going to be located, what is the process? They haven’t answered any of that.”

Mr Caborn elaborated on the change of policy discussed by Tessa Jowell, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, at a private meeting with MPs on Tuesday night.

Critics of the Bill, including many Labour MPs, the Conservatives, and church and addiction groups, feared that US operators would try to open 150 super-casinos across Britain.

The Government had insisted that the figure would be closer to 40. Now the cap will exist for the first few years after the Bill becomes law and, in another concession, any change to the cap will have to be agreed by MPs. That will be dependent on studies assessing the social impact of the first eight casinos.

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