Under the weather

I read with curious interest the article 'Licence to Thrill' (see [2001] Gazette, 9 August, 20).

I am a Blackpool licensing lawyer, which I suppose qualifies me to comment on the Blackpool weather.

Julian Harris (gambling specialist at Pinsent Curtis Biddle) prefers Las Vegas by wrongly telling readers 'frankly the weather is a factor - the difference between Las Vegas and Blackpool is that in Blackpool it rains 300 days a year'.According to our local Met Office, in the last 365 days it only rained 185 days.

It cannot be disputed that the hotel infrastructure is inferior to our Stateside competition, but at least you can get a night in a four-star for 29.

Moreover, our latest casino is equipped with a water-tight roof so you can merrily twist the blue chips without getting a soaking.

Perhaps, in time, when the London gambling giants instruct Mr Harris to apply to the Blackpool Council for a new casino licence, he might wish to instruct me as his local agent; all will then be forgiven.Trevor Colebourne, licensing partner, Leslie Harris, Blackpool