CASINOS could be vying for business on the streets of Swindon by 2006.

But some people fear they could be the breeding ground for the compulsive gamblers of the future.

The Government's new Gambling Bill will bring radical changes to the world of gambling.

Currently, the right to have a casino is restricted by law only to larger cities and towns on a list carefully monitored by the Government.

Under the proposed new law, casinos would no longer be restricted to such areas, and would be open to the public rather than operating as clubs as now.

This means people would be able to enter and gamble immediately as opposed to signing membership documents and waiting 24 hours.

Swindon Council leader Mike Bawden said: "My initial reaction to the Bill is that I'm not a gambler, so I do not feel it would be adding anything to my personal leisure.

"But if the Government goes in this direction, the borough council will probably receive planning applications from people and organisations wishing to build casinos.

"I would expect the council to evaluate such applications in its usual professional manner."

Gamblers Anonymous, the main organisation devoted to helping gambling addicts overcome their compulsion, has meetings in Swindon on Wednesdays from 7-9pm and Sundays from 2-4pm, but declined to comment on the prospect of casinos opening in Swindon.

However, the Evening Adver spoke to a compulsive gambler who has kept the compulsion at bay for several years.

The man, who asked not to be named, said: "I know from my own experience that gamblers were willing to travel away from Swindon to places such as Bristol just so they could visit casinos.

"I fear that there are people who have it in them to be compulsive gamblers but do not know it, and could become addicted if there was a casino on their doorstep.

"One of the problems is that casinos have a glamorous image the James Bond image of sophistication and wealth."

The Government points out that its Bill provides for a new Gambling Commission to oversee the industry and supervise licensing.

It also points out that it wants to remove slot machines from places such as fast food shops and minicab offices, adding up to a cut of 6,000 in the number of places where people can gamble.

Barrie Hudson