Frenchman Amaury Taittinger, of the champagne dynasty, has opened the £6m Leo Casino on Liverpool's waterfront.

Located on Queen's Dock, the casino sits between the Dolby and Campanile hotels, which are also run by the Taittinger family.

As well as 16 tables - including roulette, blackjack, stud poker, dice and ponto banco - the casino, open from 2pm until 6am Sunday to Friday and 2pm until 4am on Saturdays, will boast a 60-seat restaurant which hangs over the Prince's Dock.

The restaurant will have a European chef on duty until midnight and a Chinese chef after. Taittinger said: 'I see this as being a leisure attraction. It will not simply be a place for serious gamblers to meet in a windowless room. We have created brightness and lots of light.'

Architects Chapman and Robinson of Manchester and London-based FDA, worked on the exterior and interior respectively, with lighting consultants, DPA Lighting. The project has taken three years to complete.