THE chairman of the parliamentary committee that approved the ending of restrictions on casinos is in the running to head the Gambling Commission, which will award the lucrative casino licences.

John Greenway, chairman of the joint committee on the draft Gambling Bill, is a contender to chair the commission, which will be created by the new legislation.

As its head, he would play a key role in deciding whether to unleash a gambling binge in Britain. A gambling trade body has predicted that the number of problem gamblers will double to 700,000, twice the current level, by 2010.

Already 100 casino planning applications have been lodged and a casino is likely to be approved in every large town. Industry sources have disclosed that one Las Vegas operator approached 22 leading football clubs about building casinos next to their grounds.

This weekend Greenway, the Tory MP for Ryedale, said he was “very flattered” that his “name was being mentioned” as a contender. One associate added that he was “very well qualified” to chair the commission. Tessa Jowell, the culture secretary who will make the appointment, has not yet approached him, but senior figures in the gambling industry have lobbied in his favour.

Greenway insists that regardless of his interests, the committee’s investigation was independent of the industry. “It’s the government’s Bill and there will be less gambling because we have given it pre-legislative scrutiny,” he said in weekend reports. The government said in a statement that it had accepted 121 of the committee’s 139 recommendations.

The disclosure of Greenway’s interest in chairing the new regulator coincides with concern about close links between the betting industry and the MPs and peers who vetted the Gambling Bill. It is due to be introduced into parliament this week.

Out of 16 members of the joint committee, 14 have declared interests in casinos, racing or other areas of gambling.

Greenway receives up to £10,000 as an adviser to College Hill, a public relations company, for his advice to the Tote, the state-owned horse racing betting company. The firm also works for the casino operator London Clubs International, but Greenway is not involved.

In the past he has also declared hospitality he has received from the British Horseracing Board, the Racecourse Association, the Tote and York Race Committee.Other members of the committee with close links to the industry include Lord Donoughue, a Labour peer who owns shares in the casino operator Stanley Leisure and is the part owner of a racehorse. His son is chief executive of The Gambling Consultancy, a lobby group that represents Kerry Packer’s Crown Casinos, the online betting firm Bet365.com and Ladbrokes.

Lord Brooke of Sutton Mandeville, the former Tory cabinet minister, is a shareholder in London Clubs International. Lord Mancroft, another Tory peer, is chairman of InterLotto (UK), which manages charity lotteries.

Meanwhile the government official in charge of gaming policy, Gideon Hoffman, has exposed himself to concerns that he has become too close to American gaming groups.

Leaked e-mails show that Hoffman, who works in the culture department, asked them if they wanted to send him more “party invitations” for the week he was to spend in Las Vegas with gaming executives.

He wrote: “For those of you who feel I do not already have enough party invitations, or my schedule may be missing important things — drop me a line!” The culture department defended his trip, which took place earlier this month. A spokesman said: “We are paying for this trip and it has been arranged by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. It has gone through all the official channels.”

The gambling law changes may also put John Prescott, the deputy prime minister, in a conflicting role. He has a duty to maximise returns from the Millennium Dome, which is seeking a casino licence, but must also decide whether to give it planning permission. News Corporation, ultimate owner of the Sunday Times, has a 10% stake in an affiliate of AEG Europe, the dome’s owner.

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