In a letter to Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell he has called for an urgent review of the recommendation to site the venue in Manchester.

The resort missed out on landing the UK's first supercasino when the Casino Advisory Panel (CAP) announced Manchester was its preferred choice at the end of January.

However, the decision still has to be confirmed by Parliament and already thousands of people have signed The Gazette's petition and 66 MPs have signed an Early Day Motion supporting Blackpool's case.

Mr Etches, who played a key role in the original formation of Blackpool's casino dream, wrote to Tessa Jowell, the minister who will make the final decision, outlining the case for Blackpool.

He said the Government would be missing out on a chance to boost tourism and accused the panel of a "serious lack of understanding".

"Blackpool offers a unique opportunity to create a national tourism project and the Government's national casino policy statement of December 16, 2004, specifically highlights the opportunity for regional casinos to deliver a boost to tourism and regeneration.

"However, the final report of the Casino Advisory Panel demonstrates a serious lack of understanding of a vision for Blackpool's renaissance that is shared across the North West.

"The licence should go to the place that needs it most and which could deliver a national tourism project in the most socially responsible way."

Mr Etches, now a tourism consultant was angry at the attitude the panel had shown to Blackpool.

"The CAP's suggestion that Blackpool must somehow take its medicine and manage its decline 'without visions of external intervention to cure all ills' is surprisingly rude and patronising," he said.

"Without Blackpool envisioning casinos as the catalyst to attract other private sector investment no other city would have jumped on the bandwagon.

"The CAP has not understood Blackpool's home-grown solution to the challenges it faces; it is not about public intervention and nor is Blackpool deluding itself that one casino licence alone will act as a panacea.

"The critical and clearly misunderstood point is that there has been little private-sector confidence to invest in Blackpool over a long period. Setting up the Urban Regeneration Company ReBlackpool, as a vehicle to deliver an exciting and comprehensive regeneration masterplan has laid the groundwork but the risk for business remains high.

"A £400m regional casino including hotel and conference facilities would re-establish the necessary confidence for other potential investors.

"The CAP has set out what it regards as the 'gold standard' for a regional casino as a regeneration project.

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