jowell confirms casino climbdown tessa jowell has announced plans to limit the number of new casinos in the uk to 24  in a move branded a  humiliating retreat  by the tories.  it puts an end to plans for up to 40 super casinos  originally outlined in the government s gambling bill. instead there will be a cap of eight new casinos in each size category - small  medium and large. the culture secretary said the move showed she listened to critics who feared an explosion in gambling.  but conservative shadow culture secretary john whittingdale said the way the government had handled the bill was a  shambles .  this announcement is a further humiliating retreat by the government.  instead of the initial intention of the gambling bill  to liberalise the rules governing gambling  the bill now imposes a more restrictive regime than exists at present.  shares in british casino operators london clubs international  rank group and stanley leisure  who had been hoping the bill would pave the way for a big expansion in smaller casinos  fell by between 10 and 25% following the announcement. ms jowell s deputy  richard caborn  said the government had adopted a cautious approach to the issue  and responded to the concerns raised.  limiting the number of regional casinos to eight in the first phase is a cautious move that will allow us to test the impact of a new kind of casino on the levels of problem gambling   he said.  we also believe it s right to apply this same level of caution to small and large casinos.   he added that local authorities would still be able to stop new casinos coming to their areas. church groups welcomed the limit on the number of casinos. salvation army spokesman jonathan lomax said:  the proliferation of these casinos on high streets across the country was a real concern and the [three year] trial period  which we think should last at least five years  will enable research into the potentially severe social consequences of an increase in hard and addictive forms of gambling.  but british british casino association chairman penny cobham said her members were  outraged  by the decision  which followed a campaign in the daily mail newspaper.  there was never going to be a massive explosion of casinos. talk of a casino on every high street was just a scaring tactic.