The Aspers group is pushing through with its plans to build a casino in Southampton after rival bidder Global Gaming Ventures (GGV) lost an appeal against the decision to award Aspers an operating license.

In 2016, the UK government awarded Aspers a casino license for Southampton’s Royal Pier Waterfront development. Aspers, a joint venture between the Aspinall Family and Crown Resorts Australia, plans to build a USD500 million (GBP400 million) super-casino.

Aspers bested rivals GGV, Grosvenor and Kymeira for the last of the eight large casino licenses the UK government intends to issue. The award, however, was challenged by GGV, claiming that its bid has been “unfairly rejected” by the Southampton Council even though the company had already secured building permit for its site at the Hammerson shopping development.

GGV also claimed that Aspers’ evaluation of benefits should have been mathematical since they used the term “Gross Value Added” (GVA). Bidders for the Southampton casino license are required to submit business plans, which include employing staff from the area and the business’s potential GVA to the area.