THE Bishop of Blackburn today said that gambling could be "the lesser of two evils" if opening casinos was the only way to rejuvenate deprived areas.

The Rt Rev Alan Chesters visited the famous US resort of Las Vegas to see how gaming has affected the city and its people.

Mr Chesters will present his findings to Blackpool Borough Council which is planning to introduce casinos in a bid to regenerate the town, part of the Blackburn Diocese.

He said he never placed a bet himself -- as he does not believe in gambling -- but he accepted we live in a society that does.

And he said safety nets need to be put in place if the proposals do go ahead.

He said: "As a Christian leader I have been approached by many people for moral guidance on the proposals to regenerate Blackpool by the introduction of hotel casinos.

"I am keenly aware of the economic problems which cause acute social deprivation in some parts of Blackpool.

"However, I had no personal knowledge of the social and moral effects which large hotel casinos would bring in their wake."

Accompanied by Father Graham Rainford, area dean for Blackpool, Mr Chesters took in Las Vegas and Beloxi Bay, in Mississippi, on the four-day trip -- not paid for out of church funds -- speaking to various agencies involved in the gaming industry. And he found it to be of great benefit to the resorts. He said: "What I discovered was that casinos do bring economic generation to deprived areas.

"In Mississippi, for example, unemployment had fallen from one in four to one in 20.

"The issue is what is the lesser of two evils, poverty and social deprivation or people gaming? The hotels themselves are wonderful with fantastic restaurants. They recreate places like Venice and Rome and are not tatty at all."

When asked if casinos should come to Blackpool, he said: "I am not going to answer that. That's for others to decide."

He said: "If Blackpool is going to do this we need to be very, very sure that we have in place safety mechanisms for those whose lives are affected badly by gaming.

"I will insist to the powers that be, a substantial amount of the profits are put back into the community.

"The regeneration needs to be about more than just the facilities."

Mr Chesters is currently in "reflective mood" following the trip and will present his findings in the coming weeks.