Huge casino planned for North Tipperary.

We have been pointing out the antiquity of our Irish gaming laws for a long time but it now seems that a change may be forthcoming as plans have been approved for a Las Vegas style casino complex in North Tipperary. Casino news in Ireland is that he project which is scheduled for a 900-acre site at Two-Mile-Borris near Thurles would include a 6000 sq.m.casino, a greyhound track, a turf and all-weather racecourse, a golf course and a full-scale replica of the White House to be used as a banqetting facility complete with a 500-bedroom five-star hotel and parking for some 6000 cars. The project would provide a thousand jobs during the construction period as well as an estimated 1500 permanent jobs upon completion. This is the brain child of wealthy businessman Mr Richard Quirke who is already known in the gaming world as he runs the Dr Quirkey’s Good Time Emporium amusement and gaming arcade on Dublin’s O’Connell Street. At an estimated cost of some €460 million it does not come cheap but Mr Quirke insists that  financing is not an issue; it will require no State aids or grants and that interest shown by possible investors is good. Needless to say not everybody is in favour of such a project and An Taisce describes it as “mind blowing” and may yet appeal the planning permission. The whole project is in the very early stages and will definitely require a change in the gaming laws to go ahead which may yet prove difficult..