Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), the firm behind the bid to turn the former Millennium Dome into the UK’s first supercasino, has apologised for misrepresenting the views of local religious leaders in a letter posted on the DCMS website after a series of emails were leaked.
A document by Reverend Malcolm Torry, a member of the Greenwich Peninsula Chaplaincy, was forwarded to the DCMS by AEG, which stated that the group of eight chaplains – of Christian, Muslim and Sikh faiths – welcomed the creation of 4,600 jobs and recognised the right of people to gamble in a free country.
However, Rev Torry complained that most of the document had been fabricated and that in fact, his original document said that gambling can prevent “human flourishing” and should be avoided. The letter also said that an increase in problem gambling will likely result from the supercasino being built.
Torry emailed AEG to request that the embellished document be removed from the DCMS website, prompting an email of apology from AEG Europe’s chief executive David Campbell, who claimed that the incident was a genuine mistake.
The site, now called The 02, is the frontrunner for the Las Vegas-style casino in a shortlist of seven venues across the country. The project has already been the centre of controversy after it was revealed that deputy Prime Minister John Prescott stayed at AEG owner Philip Anschutz’s Colorado ranch last year.
