Dome owners quash casino rumours

AEG said they will focus on opening in July

Owners of the former Millennium Dome in London have said they will not fight for supercasino status.

AEG Europe, which owns the renamed O2 venue in Greenwich, south-east London, lost out when Manchester was awarded Britain's first supercasino licence.

A spokesman said AEG will not contest the decision announced by the Casino Advisory Panel (CAP) last week.

The licence allows Manchester to build a Las Vegas-style venue for up to 1,250 unlimited-jackpot gaming machines.

Entertainment venue

AEG's CEO David Campbell said: "All our efforts are concentrated on opening The O2 as a world-class, state of the art venue in July.

"For a long time, London has needed a truly modern entertainment venue which it will have very soon, on budget and on time as we committed to the government."

Once completed the O2 will house a 20,000-seater music arena, entertainment and sport events.

It will also boast an 11-screen cinema, bars and restaurants and a smaller 2,200 capacity music venue.

The ruling by CAP left business leaders in London "absolutely flabbergasted and very disappointed". London's mayor Ken Livingstone said he would continue to lobby the government to allow a casino at the site.