Tees Valley Regeneration has selected Aspers to represent Middlesbrough’s bid to win the UK’s supercasino licence.

If successful, the casino would be part of a £180m Aspers on the Quay leisure and entertainment complex, including a 7,000-capacity arena, a hotel, conference facilities, restaurants, bars, a health club and a spa.

A spokesperson for Tees Valley Regeneration said: “The casino is central to the success of Middlesbrough’s regeneration. It will raise the profile of the Middlehaven development regionally, nationally and internationally and serve to attract further investment to the area.”

A £500m Middlehaven development designed by Alsop Architects is already underway. It will include a champagne bottle-shaped hotel, a toaster-shaped theatre, a space invader-inspired museum of digital media, a public art installation and restaurants built on piers.

A competitor for the regional casino licence – Coventry Now – proposes to develop an Isle of Capri casino complex based in Coventry City Football Club’s Ricoh Arena. Facilities at the recently completed £113m arena include a hotel as well entertainment and sports zones. Details: www.teesvalleyregeneration.co.uk and www.coventry-now.com