A RECENT discussion between a local councillor and his vicar highlights one of the barriers supporters of a regional casino face.

Sitting in the church hall, the clergyman told how he could never support a casino because he was vehemently opposed to gambling.

The fact that they were sitting on comfortable chairs bought courtesy of Lottery funding illustrates how some people just blind themselves to the facts.

Gambling is a part of society. Millions will have a flutter on the Grand National tomorrow. Many churches and other worthy organisations rely on tombolas, raffles, weekly draws and lotteries help to keep them going.

The door has been opened and for the majority - as with alcohol - it is a pleasure they can control. Introduced responsibly - as with the Lottery - it can bring huge benefit to society and provide a bit of fun along the way.

Opponents keep insisting that a regional casino will lead to an explosion in the numbers of gambling addicts.

They repeat it so often it is danger of becoming accepted fact. In reality, it is a notion that needs to be challenged.

There are many possible root causes of an individual's gambling addiction. They may include amusement arcades, betting shops, scratchcards, the Lottery, online gambling or bingo.

But we can say with certainty that the cause is not regional casinos because Britain hasn't got any.

Middlesbrough Council has recently been engaged in talks with GamCare - the leading organisation for the treatment and prevention of gambling addiction and associated debt problems. As a result, GamCare will be opening an office in the town. The fact that it will be the first outside the capital illustrates how funding for such projects does not top the list of Government or local authority priorities.

However, obtaining a licence for a regional casino can change all that.

Before selecting any operator, the successful local authority can insist on a list of stringent conditions.

In Middlesbrough the would-be developer would have to commit funds towards the prevention and treatment of gambling addiction, whatever the root cause. A vast improvement on the current situation.

And, of course, the casino would just be one part of an entertainment village that the licence would herald.

In Middlesbrough's case, before a roulette wheel could be spun, the operator would have to provide a performance arena, superior hotel and conference facilities, top-notch restaurants and other leisure features.

Then there are the jobs - an estimated 4,000 - and training opportunities, and the annual dividend to support local communities, arts and charities.

The team behind our bid for a regional casino has urged anyone with concerns to arrange a meeting so those concerns can be addressed in advance. Unfortunately, there is a small number of people, such as the vicar mentioned earlier, who simply will not allow themselves to make a balanced judgement.

A regional casino is not a gamble.

Whichever town gets the licence will have hit the jackpot.

And the reality is that towns without a regional casino will still have the same or increasing numbers of gambling addicts but no additional funds or expertise to treat them.