Betts deludes himself over plans for a regional casino
Clive Betts MP says a regional casino will generate upwards of £200m investment, create secure and well-paid jobs, but will not cause problem gambling. He deludes himself.
The City Council bid, which he champions, makes a host of projections on visitor numbers, turnover, effects on the economy and social implications. But the astonishing thing is that neither government nor council consulted the UK casino industry. Therefore, council projections are not based on any realistic understanding of how the industry operates.
Our appraisal, however, was drawn up in consultation with industry authorities to take account of factors acknowledged within the gambling industry.
Any company investing 200m is bound to expect a decent return. Mr. Betts seems to think the hard-nosed Las Vegas-based owners of international gambling corporations are investing here because of their charitable disposition. They will expect a minimum 15 per cent return, otherwise they may as well leave their money in the building society. Taking the 200m investment figure, 15 per cent annual return equates to 30million a year. The Gaming Commission show that British casinos have averaged 16.1 per cent profit on turnover for the past two years. If a regional casino's profit ratio is to remain at that level, it must achieve an annual turnover of at least 186million. Anything less is certain to deliver profits below average performance, and I suggest a regional casino would consider anything under average market performance unacceptable.
The joint turnover of the North's 42 casinos was 55,570,838 for the year to May 2006 (55,330,936 for the previous 12 months, representing a year-on-year increase of just 0.48 per cent despite a 5 per cent increase in the number of casinos). It becomes apparent that the proposed 200m regional casino will have to turn over almost 3 times more than the combined total of all these 42 casinos just to retain a reasonable level of commercial viability, in a market that has been flat for two years.
These projections tend to show that the operation will fail to reach profit targets and be closed by its owners as commercially unviable.
Neville Martin, Chairman, Sheffield Campaign Against Supercasino Expansion
Tired of deception over A levels
AS a physics teacher tired and angry at the yearly tedious deception by politicians over A levels can we a least establish some facts?
1. Most A level students work hard for their grades but they are not the ones to judge whether the exams have become easier or not.
2. They have been betrayed by succesive governments, especially this one, who know they have got easier but persist in making statements to the contrary which all teachers with any experience know are false.
3. Experienced teachers, particularly of science and maths, can demonstrate clearly that exams have got easier simply by comparing exam papers from 10 years ago. This objectively shows that students are now required to know much less with much less depth.
MK Rolley, Sheffield
Boy showed a sign of respect for us
ON the way to my mum's funeral, we passed many people, most of whom took no notice at all. However, on Birley Spa Lane, we passed three young boys, who stopped, one removed his cap and held it in front of him in a very mature gesture. That brought a tear to my eye and a sob to my throat.
Mrs TA Saint, Union Street, harthill, Sheffield S26 Driven to distraction on bus
You are to be praised for your non-judgemental report, August 14, that popular crooner Peter Doherty and his talented beat combo accidentally destroyed the stage at a recent Channel 4 cultural event.
Peter is a shining icon for the misunderstood elements of youth in today's topsy-turvey society.
If it wasn't for the likes of Peter, I and many others would not be able to smile benignly at the young, and not so young, people with their feet up on the seats of our buses and trams, who share their bold musical tastes with us through marvellously modern portable hifi systems, using headphones or not.
Perish the thought that we should chastise Mr Doherty, or that the bus companies might put up signs saying 'keep your feet off the seats' whilst promoting the fact that broadcasting recorded music on public transport is illegal.
Russell Cavanagh, Fairbarn Drive, Sheffield 6
Security lapses at airports
With regard to airport security, as one chap said standing in the queue at an airport, why does it have to take an incident like this for airports to do what should be the norm in view of the current climate?
The other thing that seems to get little attention, and seems to be rife, is baggage theft.
Where is the security behind the check-in desks?
Is it not feasible that if items are taken out of cases so easily, that something could just as easily put in?
Robin Gissing snr, Jaunty Road, Sheffield 12
Time to bring in bus improvements
ANY future bus regulation should bring three improvements without the high public subsidies that Stephen fears (Star letters, Aug 7). Currently bus operators are by law not allowed to cooperate on bus times, regulation would allow better organised timetabling. Through ticketing and cross-operated ticketing could be stipulated, meaning passengers would only have to buy one ticket. Finally, cross subsidy would enable money from high profit routes to be used to make less profitable services commercially viable.
Stephen also believes that 'councils should let companies do what they do best which is run a bus service'. Unfortunately it appears bus passengers do not agree, as passenger numbers have dropped from 350 to 110 million since deregulation.
Clive Betts's call for regulation, however, is a diversion as there is already a legal route called Quality Bus Contracts.
Robert Murphy (Sheffield Green Party Transport Spokesperson)
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