A U.K. businessman and football club chairman has revealed his plans to partner with Casinos Austria International for one of the eight "large" casino licenses-specifically, the license granted the town of Milton Keynes.

Besides the casino, in which the 2007 Gaming Act allows 150 slot machines plus any number of tables, project developer Pete Winkelman wants his entertainment center to include restaurants, bars, a nightclub and a small movie theater.

The Milton Keynes Citizen reports that the new entertainment center is planned to sit adjacent to the stadium where the Winkelman football club, the Dons, plays its home games. On the opposite side of the stadium a new arena is currently under construction.

Winkelman, a former music producer, says his plan is a good complement to the sports stadiums and the Doubletree Hotel. He also sees the location as being favorable in societal terms.

"There is a lot of political support for out-of-town casinos as people shouldn't just fall straight
out of a pub into a casino," said Winkelman. "You have to make a conscious decision to go to an out-of-town casino."

This is the third project that has been announced as being in the running for the Milton Keynes license. The other two are from Leisure Plaza and Xscape.

The city council is now studying the plans. The competition will begin in earnest in spring 2010.

By GGB Staff

Staff writers for Global Gaming Business magazine. Las Vegas, Nevada.