CASINO supporters and opponents are waiting for another major announcement on the future of gambling.

The joint committee on the draft gambling bill is due to report today on how regional planning bodies will be able to dictate where large scale casinos will be built.

Blackpool Council wants decisions on where the biggest casinos should be built to be left to regional planners, believing they will favour resorts such as Blackpool over city centre locations.

But opponents of gaming say a new survey by National Economic Research Associates (NERA), submitted to the committee, shows that five new major casinos in the north west could create up to 20,000 new slot machine addicts - most of them living close to the casinos.

The Coalition Against Gambling Expansion, shopworkers union USDAW and the Seasonal Traders Association also point to NERA's warning that 6,000 jobs could be lost in existing businesses if casinos are allowed to use slot machine revenue to subsidise attractions such as hotels and restaurants.

They point to the American city of Detroit, which allowed three new casinos to be built in a bid for regeneration five years ago, but now find gambling addiction rates running at 10 per cent in the local area.

In a statement, the group said this week: "Hotels and up market restaurants near the casinos in Detroit report no increase in trade at all.

"Budget restaurants have been unable to compete with loss leader meals in the casinos and have closed down. Evidence also released this week from the US indicates that this type of slot machine based gambling has a considerable negative effect on a regional economy."

But Professor Peter Collins, chief executive of the charity, GamCare, said he felt Blackpool would be an ideal location for large-scale casinos.

He said this week: "Although for many other projects the government wants to revolutionise city centres, it is beginning to look as if that is not sensible in respect of large new casinos.

"This would be more likely to contribute to problem gambling and would be in direct competition with existing entertainment facilities such as theatres and cinemas.

"Because Blackpool is a resort town it would fit in with recommendations that patrons must make a special journey in order to visit the casino."

The bill's progress has been painstaking, but parliament is expected to begin debating the final bill within weeks.