Blackpool will have to change - that is the unanimous verdict of readers of the Gazette in the biggest survey yet on public gambling and casinos at the resort.

A 24-page report was produced by the paper, which is leading the debate on how the town's future should be shaped.

It gives a clear indication of how residents want the place to change.

Of the 340 who took part in The Gazette's Resort Casino 2002 questionnaire, 98 per cent said Blackpool staying the same was no longer an option.

But on what attraction and development might improve the resort, the public is split almost 50/50 on the principle of resort casinos, a clear possibility following the Government's plans to relax betting laws.

Readers were also asked about gambling levies, gambling in general, the need for casinos for the town's economy and the need for change.

The threat of crime, gambling addiction, threats to small businesses and the resort's family image were also tackled, and readers were asked for their own "wish list" for the future, which brought suggestions of better policing, all-weather sports facilities, better hotels and a ski centre.

Editor Philip Welsh said as "the voice of the Fylde coast": "Anyone reading the results of The Gazette's survey cannot fail to be hit by the strength of feeling that Blackpool must change to survive.

"The key question, then is: are resort casinos the attraction which are going to turn Blackpool's fortunes around? On that, this survey shows the resort is split straight down the middle."

He said there was an urgent need for a master plan to shape not just the future of gaming but the resort as a whole.

He said: "Now it's up to those in authority to provide such a plan. A vision which can re-shape the resort and turn back the tide of declining visitor numbers."

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