No casino at the Dome

Manchester has beaten London in winning the licence for Britain’s first Las Vegas size super casino. AEG, the owners of the Millennium Dome had been bidding to put one at the Dome and say they may challenge the decision to award it to Manchester and could pull the plug on £350million worth of future investment in the North Greenwich peninsula around it.

The government brought in the 2005 Gambling Act to relax the rules on where casinos could open and who their patrons could be. Up intil then you technically had to be a member to go to one and their size was limited. Now they’re seen as a means of regeneration for run down areas and the government today awarded licences for casinos of three sizes, 1 super, 8 large and 8 small. A super casino is classed as one with a minimum area for customers of 5,000 sq m.

The Millennium Dome had been favourite to win, especially after it was revealed Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott enjoyed a holiday at the Colorado ranch of AEG owner Philip Anshutz last summer which he kept quiet and had met with Mr Anschutz seven times.

Initially the government wanted over a dozen super casinos to open but had to scale back their plans after opposition from anti-gambling groups and politicians, they’ll probably introduce them slowly after the first one gets going and the Dome may well get one in five or six years time.

AEG have already pumped a lot of money into the Dome and its scheduled to open in July as the O2 entertainment centre with shops, restaurants, cinemas and a 20,000 seat arena, 2,200 seat music club and 1,800 seat theatre inside. The place is due to open with Justin Timberlake doing four shows in the first week of July.