Unemployed Dudley folk could hit the jackpot as a new casino is on the cards, bringing with it 72 jobs.

Plans have been drawn up to relaunch Castle Casino as Casino 36 and move to Castlegate Park, opposite the Village Hotel.

If Dudley planners give the go-ahead, the company will invest £12million to create the new two-storey building, which will have a ground-floor bingo hall and an upstairs casino - all accessible by wheelchair users.

Craig Dobson, group manager for Casino 36, told the Dudley News that the company owns the current casino building on Castle Hill outright, but there were "no concrete plans" for what would become of the site, should planning permission for the new venture be granted.

He added that the move would able the company to "take advantage of closer links to tourist and leisure facilities", adding:

"Where we are now, it's close to the town but it's not where everyone stops.

"It's by the zoo but that is not really something that spills over to the casino. In Castlegate Park, there are hotels, restaurants, a cinema, it's the place to be."