‘Racino' scheme for racecourse

The owner of Wolverhampton Racecourse wants to build a 170-bedroom hotel on site under £23m plans to create the UK's first "racino" - a casino at a racecourse.

Arena Leisure has submitted proposals to develop a destination casino as well as the hotel and additional horseracing and conference facilities.

The planned development, which would create up to 280 jobs, follows the Casino Advisory Panel's (CAP) recent recommendation of Wolverhampton as a location for a small casino.

Arena Leisure chief executive Mark Elliott said: "The proposed expansion of facilities will play a crucial role in securing the long-term future of Wolverhampton Racecourse and further enhance its status as a leading racing, conferencing and leisure destination for the West Midlands region."

The CAP, which recommended to the Government locations of one supercasino, eight large and eight small casinos around the UK, said the racecourse would be a good venue. "The city well satisfies all of our criteria and if the casino happens to end up at the racecourse it would add to its uniqueness and provide an interesting and unusual social impact test," it said.

The casino locations still have to be endorsed by Parliament and Wolverhampton City Council would determine the granting of the casino licence.

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