GAMING group Stanley Leisure today said it would consider tendering for all 24 casinos permitted under a relaxation of UK gaming laws.

Stanley, which already owns one Southampton casino, signalled its intentions after the government scaled back its deregulation plans last month to allow only eight "super casinos" and a further 16 medium or small sites.

Southampton City Council has announced it wants to see a super casino built in the city, should the Gambling Bill become law.

Details emerged as Stanley offered little evidence that its luck was turning after a string of setbacks, including heavy losses to a major player at its London casinos, forced it to warn on profits earlier this month.

Although pre-tax profits before goodwill were up by 14 per cent to £25.1m during the six months to October 31, the group confirmed that its haul for the full year was unlikely to beat the £41.8m reported last year.

In addition to the winning streak by the high-roller, Stanley has also suffered from unpaid debts at its casinos and adverse sporting results at its chain of 600 bookmakers.

Chairman Lord Steinberg said: "Although individually these factors could be described as normal fluctuations, in aggregate they have had an impact on our outlook for the financial year."