Man Utd considers casino for Old Trafford

Manchester United, confirmed recently as still the world’s richest football club, has announced that it is considering the possibility of boosting profits further by building a super casino at its Old Trafford stadium.

The club reported a turnover of £171.5m this year, according to Deloitte’s eighth annual Football Money League report.

A US-based casino operator – rumoured to be Las Vegas Sands – has approached the club to discuss building a venue under the new terms proposed by Tessa Jowell’s Gambling Bill, which, if passed, could see eight regional super casinos built by 2008.

A potential casino operating partner would consider Manchester Utd in posession of some valuable assets – the club was recently granted planning permission to extend the capacity of the ground to 76,000, making it second only in size to the new Wembley National Stadium.

The Manchester club joins a list of top football clubs to be contemplating such a move – Coventry City, Birmingham City and Glasgow Rangers are also investigating similar schemes.

However, the plans are overshadowed by Malcolm Glazer’s continuing effort to buy the club.

Despite fans’ outrage, who have vowed to fight Glazer, it seems increasingly likely that the American’s £3 per share offer will gain him control, with the board legally obliged to act in the best interests of major shareholders.