Only eight "super casinos" will be built under government gaming plans as ministers bow to pressure.

In a move branded a "humiliating climbdown" by the Conservatives, culture minister Richard Caborn said there would now be tight restrictions on the number of new regional casinos permitted.

The retreat came as MPs scrutinise the Gambling Bill in standing committee, and follows media and parliamentary pressure on the government to think again on plans to liberalise Britain's gaming laws.

Under the revised plans only eight of the very largest casinos will now be allowed - culture secretary Tessa Jowell had previously insisted that the market should be left to decide how many would be built.

Caborn said the retreat would provide "additional reassurance to those who prefer a more cautious approach".

"There was a large measure of support for the view that the licensing controls proposed in the bill, working alongside the planning system, would not on their own be strong enough to guard against the proliferation of a kind of gaming facility hitherto untested in this country, or the location of regional casinos in unsuitable areas," he accepted.

Rejecting criticism of the u-turn, Caborn added that the government had "always made it very, very clear we were going to consult".

Impact

Studies are expected to be carried out into the impact of the new casinos.

Critics of the plans have warned they will prompt a big increase in gambling addiction.

It is likely that if the review finds no serious problems, then the government will back a relaxation of the restrictions to allow more of the "super casinos to be built".

Shadow culture secretary John Whittingdale welcomed the u-turn but said it was a "humiliating climbdown".

Whittingdale said: "We welcome the fact that the government has performed a u-turn and gone a long way towards meeting our concerns and those of a great many people who fear the consequences of the proliferation of super casinos in our towns and cities.

"However, there will need to be a full assessment of the impact of the pilot schemes over a sufficient period before any further casinos are allowed, and we shall be pressing for further safeguards, in particular an identification requirement for those entering the gaming areas in order to provide additional protection for problem gamblers and against the dangers of money laundering."

Campaigners who had expressed fears over the original plans also welcomed the tighter restrictions on "super casinos".

Jonathan Lomax of the Salvation Army said the government should go a step further and pledge "to take at least five years to assess their social and economic impact before allowing any more".

"We applaud the government's willingness to listen and hope that this will be applied to other aspects of the Bill, such as the controversial measure to allow children to continue gambling on some types of fruit machines," he added.