Image: Leeds is one area set for a 'large' casino

Rank Group-owned operator Grosvenor Casinos and Leeds United Football Club have been named among the five stage one applicants for Leeds' large casino licence by the local authority.

Leeds City Council (LCC) confirmed that the two applicants - together with Rushbond, London Clubs Leeds and Global Gaming Ventures - had submitted their bids by the 26 April deadline.

The local authority is one of a handful across the UK that has been given the powers to award a licence for a casino with a minimum gaming area of 1,000sq m (10,764sq ft) and 150 gaming machines with a maximum £4,000 jackpot.

LCC opened the process in January and will consider the stage one applications at a hearing this summer, before deciding which of the five bidders it will invite to participate in stage two.

A council spokesperson said that the second stage is where "the council will determine which application will provide greatest benefit to the city."

Details: www.leeds.gov.uk

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