Breaking News: The Cards are on the table for the UK super Casino:

(by BBC)

 Three Scottish councils are to find out if they have been shortlisted as the venue for the UK's first super-casino.

Glasgow is thought to have a real chance against places such as Blackpool, Coventry and London.

Midlothian and West Dunbartonshire have also applied for an unlimited jackpot super-casino licence.

Sixteen licences will also be available for smaller casinos with jackpot limits of £4,000. Renfrewshire, Falkirk and Dumfries and Galloway are in the race.

More than 60 local authorities across the UK will hear whether they have reached the next stage of the bid process.

This includes 27 councils hoping to win a licence for Britain's first super - or regional - casino.

The government originally suggested there should be eight super-casinos, but after widespread opposition and claims they would lead to a big increase in gambling addiction, the plans were scaled down to just one in order to save the Gambling Bill.

Social and regeneration impacts will be considered by the Casino Advisory Panel in making recommendations to ministers.

The advisory panel is offering licences for one super-casino, eight large casinos and eight small.

The main variation between the three is the size of the customer area allowed, the number of slot machines and size of the jackpot.

The super-casino will have a minimum customer area of 5,000 sq m and 1,250 unlimited-jackpot slot machines, while large casinos will have a minimum area of 1,000 sq m and up to 150 slot machines with a maximum jackpot of £4,000.

The small casinos will have a minimum customer area of 750 sq m, up to 80 slot machines and a jackpot of £4,000.

The panel's final decision is expected to be given to Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell in December.

Stephen Purcell, the leader of Glasgow City Council, said it had a "big event" strategy to bring business and leisure tourists into the city.

He said: "The regional casino proposal is an opportunity to continue that regeneration.

"Our indepenent consultants have indicated it could create 3,000 jobs and bring £250m into the Glasgow economy every year.

"It is about more than just the casino. It is about hotel proposals, restaurants, entertainment venues etc."

Mr Purcell recognised that there were concerns over the social impact of the new casinos but said there would be safeguards.

He said: "The regional casinos will be one of the most tightly regulated parts of the gambling industry.

"The casinos will have highly-trained staff who can spot addictive gamblers.

"The whole point of the gambling act was to raise standards and raise regulation in the industry."