ANOTHER attempt is being made to get a casino in Stranraer.
Dumfries and Galloway Council have been seeking expressions of interest from potential operators.
And the deadline is today – Friday.
It comes 17 years after the town was first granted a casino licence by the UK’s Labour Government at the time. They hoped it would increase tourism and kickstart a local resurgence.
However, it never got off the ground in Galloway as no-one ever came forward to run it.
The latest push has been condemned by South Scotland MSP Carol Mochan, above, who has warned that the economic benefit of a casino in Stranraer would be limited with a potentially high public health risk.
She said: “We know that problem gambling is a serious blight across Scotland with many families affected. Research has shown that in deprived areas of the country, the risk of problem gambling can affect as many as one in ten people.
“There is always a temptation to ignore that fact for what seems to be economic growth locally, but a waterfront casino would do little for the town’s economy. We need serious investment here following the decision to move the major ferry route to and from Northern Ireland to Cairnryan. I’m not sure casinos count for passing trade, nor are they sustainable. We should not accept that Stranraer has to settle for unstable investment like this.
“This has been proposed before, and there was nobody willing to come forward. We should throw out these unnecessary plans once and for all.”
