Center Parcs has commissioned PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to investigate the feasibility of launching casinos at its four UK holiday resorts, to coincide with the predicted introduction of the new gaming laws.

The group has already announced its eagerness to expand, but as analysts estimate the cost of opening a fifth holiday park as being around £130m, Center Parcs has actively sought a number of alternative growth avenues.

Currently, on-site spending at its leisure facilities generates around 47 per cent of Center Parcs’ revenue – a figure that the company wants to increase.

Introducing gaming facilities is seen as a way to achieve this – although the operator announced it wants to make sure that on-site casinos would not deter its core family market.

Center Parcs sites in the UK receive 1.2 million visitors every year – 99 per cent of whom are British – while families account for 75 per cent of guests.

However, shares in Center Parcs have fallen slightly over the past few weeks, following the outbreak of gastroenteritis at its Longleat Forest village.

Center Parcs floated on the London Stock Exchange’s alternative investment market (AIM) last December. Details: www.centerparcs.co.uk