IF in war the first casualty is truth, in this election campaign it appears to have been regional casinos.

Originally, any forward thinking authority was to be given the chance to bring a bit of Vegas glamour to their town or city. Then the Government appeared to cave in to the demands of the puritans and limited the number of regional casinos - those over 100,000sq ft - to eight.

The world and his wife have known for months now that the General Election was likely to be held in May, yet the Government has still allowed itself to become involved in an unseemly scramble to get the dregs of its legislation passed before Parliament dissolves.

The result is a near complete capitulation on the regional casinos issue with only one now to get the go-ahead.

I do not gamble but I would welcome a regional casino in Middlesbrough. It would be like transporting the Eiffel Tower to the Tees Valley - instantly transforming it into a destination for visitors.

Prior to the Government's U-turn I visited Las Vegas to see first hand how they do things there. You can quite happily occupy yourself at the shows, restaurants and other attractions without stepping onto a gaming floor.

I have held discussions with one of the major Vegas casino operators, another from New Orleans and the British company Aspinalls, all of whom are keen to build.

It's likely an arena, hotel and other developments would be provided as part of the deal. There would be a major boost for Durham Tees Valley Airport and road and rail links could well be improved to meet the increased demand.

And then there is the boost an influx of visitors would bring to existing businesses and attractions across the region.

All that has now been thrown into doubt. Although the Government will still allow a number of smaller casinos to be built, this leaves ambitious authorities in a quandary.

If you build a smaller one and then the legislation on regional casinos is relaxed, you face being completely overshadowed by a neighbour.

The campaign against regional casinos seems to have been fuelled by an irrational fear that, seduced by the bright lights, we will all become gambling addicts, feeding the household kitty to one-arm bandits.

I'm well aware that gambling addiction can cause devastation to individuals and their families, just as addiction to drink can, but this decision smacks of the majority being punished for the behaviour of a tiny few.

And the reality is that banning regional casinos will not eradicate temptation. There are already banks of one-arm bandits in existing casinos, bingo halls, amusement arcades, betting shops, taxi offices and chip shops - are we going to ban these establishments?

The introduction of the Lottery seems to have passed without the nation crumbling and the massive expansion in online and telephone gambling means people can wager anytime they wish. So why should people in one part of the country be allowed to enjoy a show, a meal and a flutter at the tables but those elsewhere denied the choice?

Opportunities to completely regenerate an area come along very rarely and I hope whichever government is elected in May thinks again about regional casinos.