THERE is to be no 'super casino' in Oxford after the city council said there was no support for a gaming venue.

Less than a month after former Oxford United Football Club chairman Firoz Kassam declared an interest in a casino licence, the authority has said it would not apply for one.

Under new gaming laws the Government is issuing licences for one super casino, eight large and eight small casinos, but it is up to local authorities to bid for them.

Last week the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's casino advisory panel revealed a list of the 68 local authorities wanting to be considered as one of 17 new casino locations and Oxford was not one of them.

This is despite Mr Kassam, who is based in Monaco and still owns the football stadium, approaching casino operator London Clubs International to help get him a licence.

Last month, the company gave an informal presentation to which all 48 Oxford city councillors were invited, but only six turned up.

A city council spokesman said: "There were no proposals submitted to Oxford City Council for a casino to be built in the city.

"Councillors were requested that if they were interested in a casino that they should inform the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. There was no support for such a scheme, so, therefore, no one submitted an application."

During the presentation by London Clubs Inter- national it was dosclosed a so-called 'destination casino' in Oxford could hold 700 people, feature two restaurants, two bars, 80 slot machines and 30 gaming tables and be a live music venue. It was unclear where Mr Kassam had wanted to locate a casino, but his Ozone complex adjoining the football stadium was the favourite venue.

City councillor Ed Turner, vice-chairman of the council's licensing committee, said: "My understanding is that if you are not on this list you will not be considered as a casino venue, but I don't think it is our job to be going out of our way to be facilitating one.

"I don't think it would bring a great benefit to the city, the only people who expressed an interest were those who stood to make a lot of money out of it."

Blackpool, Cardiff, Coventry, Glasgow, Great Yarmouth, Greenwich, Hull, Ipswich, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield, Southampton and Southend-on-Sea are among 27 authorities seeking to get a super casino.

Nearby Swindon has applied for a licence for a smaller casino.

Professor Stephen Crow, chairman of the casino advisory panel, said: "Over the next few weeks all the proposals and the evidence supporting them will be considered very carefully to see how well they measure up."

No one at London Clubs International was available for comment.