Scotland Casino Second in Super Casino Bid
A shortlist of possible venues for the UK's first Las Vegas style "super- casino" has Scotland lying second behind the Millennium Dome.
Greenwhich came ahead of Glasgow in the first round of judging by the Casino Advisory Panel, which whittled 27 entrants down to eight.
Rodney Brody, UK representative of Las Vegas Sands, the firm behind the Ibrox Stadium bid, said Glasgow was in an excellent position. He said: "East London will be hugely regenerated by the Olympics. Regeneration is the name of the game and this is Glasgow's one big chance, London has another chance.
Glasgow Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Lesley Sawers said: "This demonstrates that Glasgow has made real progress in pushing the economic and business case for a regional casino license."
"A super-casino has the potential to bring substantial visitors and income to Scotland as well as create thousands of jobs in the city."
Potential sites include Glasgow Harbour, Ibrox Stadium and the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Center. Glasgow's council leader Steven Pucell said: "We're in it to win it."
Possible venues were awarded marks out of 10 in eight criteria. They included social impact, need for regeration, willingness to license, probability of implementation, regional context, community benefits, unique characteristics and range of areas.