One of Britain's most influential gaming figures has been murdered at his luxury flat in Leeds city centre. Barry DeLacy, 62, died in spite of efforts by paramedics after he was found with multiple stab wounds at his £500,000 first-floor flat in York Place, Leeds.
A 27-year-old man – understood to be not from Leeds – was arrested on suspicion of murder after the discovery on Friday night.
Magistrates have given police more time to interview the suspect, who was arrested in the street near the murder scene wearing what appeared to be pyjamas.
Mr DeLacy, a divorcee and father-of-one, was one of the gaming industry's most high-profile and influential figures. He was area director for A&S Leisure group which owns Napoleons casinos, one of which is in West Street, near his flat.
He was a former QE2 casino manager and one of the founders of Blue Chip Casinos.
Mr DeLacy had been due to retire in 2003 but was drawn back to the industry he loved. He said at the time: "Now I'm commuting up to Yorkshire every week, helping set up a new chain of gaming houses in Leeds and Sheffield."
Around his home, in Tividale in the West Midlands, are mementos of his time living the high life, including photos of him with politicians, TV stars and sporting heroes and signed boxing gloves from Muhammad Ali and Marvin Hagler.
He said his love of gambling arose by chance. He said: "I was working as a doorman at a Piccadilly nightclub. One night I was invited out to an illegal casino and after winning a few quid I caught the bug. The following week Eric Morley, of Miss World fame, advertised for croupiers so I went along to his Golden Nugget Club in Shaftesbury Avenue and learned to deal dice for 11 shillings a night. Eventually I was sent to The Sportsman on the Tottenham Court Road, where I joined the management team and this was my first real taste of the gambling high life. "Hundreds of thousands changed hands every night, as if it was Monopoly money."
Barry's next taste of luxury came when he managed the casino on the QE2, where he met the rich and royals. Stars like Paul Newman and Robert Wagner were frequent patrons of his tables.
Barry then returned to London and was immediately headhunted by Ladbrokes who gave him the task of establishing various new casinos.
After that bookmaker Monty Shine offered him a position with Clockfair and it was under their auspices that he finally arrived in his much-loved Black Country to do the same there.
The site of his first local venture was the old Lafayette in Wolverhampton, a favourite entertainment venue since the 1960s.
In 1984 Barry, along with partner Martyn Shine, son of Monty, bought it up and turned it into the Rubicon.
A few years later they opened up a second casino in Dudley. Finally, in 2001, they opened the Shaftesbury, a two million pound luxury complex in West Bromwich.
He said at the time: "The days when gambling and villainy went hand in hand are long gone. The industry's heavily regulated now and a casino can be as much a boon to an area as any other business."