Manchester city council officials dismissed the Dome and Blackpool's bid to be the test bed for the first regional casino in the UK as the Casino Advisory Panel visited the city last week.

Howard Bernstein, chief executive of the council, told the panel that Manchester was ‘a city transforming itself through cultural and economic investment’’ and added that it was Manchester which would serve the north-west best as the destination for the casino, and not Blackpool.

"Whether Blackpool will be regenerated through one casino is questionable," he said, adding that the seaside town supported Manchester’s bid.

"Blackpool cannot be the test bed, or rely on its projected 70 per cent of visitors from outside the town. It’s too much of an uncertainty."

Referring to the Dome, Bernstein claimed that the Greenwich site was already the subject of regenerative investment benefits, mostly from its use in the 2012 Olympic Games. "The Dome itself has already provided regeneration to Greenwich," he said.

"The site is already being renovated for the Games. Is the public interest best served by locating the only regional casino in the Dome? We think not."

The meeting also saw panel chair Stephen Crow reiterate that the Dome ‘was not a done deal’’ despite press reports to the contrary. "Evidence seems to be a distraction to some and a total irritant to others," he said.