Coventry’s bid was not one of the eight shortlisted for the next round of deliberation, despite constant displays of confidence from the bid’s leaders. The council said it was in a state of shock after the results of the preliminary review.

Geoffrey Robinson MP has announced publicly that the UK Casino Advisory panel made a grave mistake by not selecting a single bid from the Midlands for the shortlist, and has demanded they reconsider. To this end he has arranged to meet Tessa Jowell, secretary of state for culture, next week.

The bids which were chosen as p[possible sites for the UK’s first Las Vegas style super-casino were London’s Millennium Dome and Wembley Stadium, Blackpool, Glasgow, Cardiff, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield.