UNITED WANT A CASINO

Manchester United are in talks to build a huge casino next to Old Trafford.

Club bosses are consulting with Trafford Council and a US casino giant with a
view to applying for one of the eight mega-casino licences which will become
available under the Gambling Bill.

The reds will be pitted against a rival bid for a mega-casino at Eastlands, next to the City of Manchester Stadium.

Salford Reds pulled out of the race when they scaled down their casino plans but Blackpool want to build a Las Vegas-style complex.

An independent panel will recommended which eight mega-casinos across the country should get the go-ahead with Culture secretary Tessa Jowell taking the final decision.

An insider at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport told the M.E.N: "It is extremely unlikely that Manchester would be chosen for two casinos."

It is understood the club is in talks with Las Vegas Sands, a major casino
operator in America trying to enter the British gambling market when the laws have been liberalised. The company owns the $1.5bn Venetian Hotel on the Las Vegas strip.

A high-ranking insider at Trafford Council, which would be required to support a bid under the new rules, told the M.E.N: "We are talking with Manchester United about their plans."

If built, the casino will be just north of the stadium in Trafford Park.

United spokesman Phil Townsend explained: "We are looking at all possibilities to take the business forward. It's way too early to start talking about applying for licences which don't exist yet.

"No decisions have been made. We are looking at any possibilities there may be in the proposed changes to the legislation."