New spin on games of chance

A further education college in Blackpool has created a mock casino for training would-be croupiers to work in the seaside town's planned Las Vegas-style gambling resort, writes Tony Tysome.

Graduates from Blackpool and The Fylde College's new BTec advanced diplomas in casino operations and gaming-machine technologies will be looking to snap up one of an estimated 14,500 jobs in five casino hotels to be built within the next ten years.

The syllabus for the course, due to start in January, includes the history and economics of gaming and its social context, learning about the games themselves, not to mention more practical skills such as the art of dealing cards and learning the 35 times table for roulette.

Students will be assessed by coursework assignments and practical tests in a special "gaming laboratory" set up in the college.