A RAFT of new fees have been introduced by the city council for anyone wanting to open up a new casino or betting shop in the Faithful City.

The Guildhall has responded to the upcoming introduction of the Gambling Act by drawing up a huge list of costs for hopeful business owners.

Under the act, the city council is responsible for new licenses covering gambling venues in Worcester, rather than magistrates.

The authority will charge up to £1,750 for a new application for a bingo club in Worcester, and £1,500 for betting premises.

Anyone applying to open a family entertainment centre will be charged up to £1,000, while an adult gaming centre application will also cost up to £1,000.

Each applicant will also be offered the chance to hand in a fast tracked' application determined before any others for £300.

An annual fee has been set for each, costing bingo halls £500, betting premises £300, family entertainment centres £375 and adult gaming centres £500.

It is thought to take several weeks or months to complete a normal application - work which includes pre-application advice, a time to chase loose information, a site visit, officer determination, a hearing and appeals if necessary.

The Guildhall has drawn up rough estimates revealing an application would cost at least £401 to determine.

Mike Harrison, head of cleaner and greener, said: "We've been consulting on our plans for a gambling policy for two or three years now, while we have been waiting for the Government to bring this law in.

"The estimates came about by us sitting down and thinking how long will this take?'. It was intelligent guesswork, if you like.

"We have set them so we can get our costs back when determining an application. Normally you find out in the first year whether or not the fees are suitable."

The Guildhall has pledged to review all fees after one year to see if they are too high or too low to recoup costs.