London – Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott’s office decided not to review a “casino-related” proposal just three weeks after Prescott met with Denver financier Philip Anschutz, who is vying to build a supercasino for London’s Millennium Dome, according to British media reports.
A review of the casino plan by Prescott’s office would have led to a public inquiry that could have exposed it to more scrutiny, according to a report in the Evening Standard in London.
Anschutz Entertainment Group, a Los Angeles-based subsidiary of the Anschutz Corp., has a lease with the British government to build an arena, theaters and restaurants at the Dome on the River Thames. The company wants to lease space to Kerzner International, a South African company that plans to build a hotel and casino on the site.
The report states that Prescott and Anschutz met on June 18, 2003, and three weeks later Prescott’s office announced that it would not review the casino proposal, leaving the process to the local government. E-mails indicate that Prescott’s office was already in talks with AEG about a casino at the time. Prescott also visited Anschutz at his Colorado ranch in 2005.
A recommendation on where the casino will be located is expected Dec. 31.
Prescott has denied any wrongdoing, and Anschutz has declined comment.
