Social impact

Overall social impact

There is a consensus amongst the regeneration partners, residents and businesses that we have consulted in developing this proposal that the social impact of the casino will be strongly positive with benefits greatly outweighing social costs.

The critical problem facing residents is poverty and deprivation associated with worklessness. The casino and related developments offer the prospect of several hundred new jobs, mostly of a type to which residents can aspire; and the opportunity of sparking a wider transformation of the Coastal Action Zone into a modern English leisure destination.

The impact on problem gambling, social cohesion and the sustainability of communities in such areas

There is no evidence of problem gambling in East Lindsey, or in the Coastal Action Zone specifically, going beyond the average estimates of the number of problem gamblers, ranging from 0.6% to 1.0% of the adult population. We believe on the basis of informal consultations that problem gambling is at lower rates here than the national average, despite the existence of 50 premises with high-jackpot ‘Amusement-with-Prizes’ machines on the Coast.

We accept that for a few individual residents, there is a risk that the presence of a casino i.e., ‘destination gambling’ will draw them into problem gambling, but we consider that the leisure nature of the facilities we propose, oriented towards visitors, will mean that numbers are few. The Casino is unlikely to be a drop-in facility for large numbers of residents.

Planned procedures to counter potential negative social impacts of gambling

Monitoring and evaluating the social impact of a new casino

We propose to commission the University of Lincoln to undertake rigorous and independent monitoring and evaluation including assessment of the adverse effects of the casino as well as the socio-economic benefits.

Ensuring that local people are able to benefit

As already noted, the isolation of the Coastal Action Zone will help to ensure that local people benefit. We consider it would be unlikely that the main workforce would be sourced from outside the Coastal Action Zone. We recognise, however, the need to ensure that people have the right skills and are working in partnership with Lincoln College, First College Skegness, the Coastal Academy and the Lincolnshire & Rutland Local Learning and Skills Council to ensure that the right training resources are available. We expect the critical mass of activity around the casino complex to promote the training infrastructure on the Coast, building on successful activity such as the Modern Apprenticeships offered by Butlins in partnership with Boston College.

The council is working with Lincoln College to develop a casino skills training course. It is proposed that subject to approval of the successful operator that this would be run in partnership with the new national gaming academy at Blackpool and the Fylde College who are supportive of this initiative. The high level of IT used in modern casinos will add higher value to the skills base of the Coastal Action Zone.