COUNCIL chiefs have awarded a licence to a casino which will be part of an enormous £450million development - and they say it will bring at least 180 jobs to Southampton.

Aspers, which runs casinos in London, Milton Keynes, Northampton and Newcastle, has been awarded the city’s licence to operate the new casino.

Bosses say the casino, which will be part of the Royal Pier development, will “transform the landscape of Southampton’s waterfront” and is set to open in 2021.

Chair of the Licensing Committee for Southampton City Council, Councillor Matt Tucker, said: “There has been significant industry-wide interest in securing Southampton’s large casino licence from some very high quality bidders.

“It has been both the largest and most complex competition nationally and I thank all of them for making this such a stiff task to decide.

“Having such high-level competition has enabled us to look at all the proposals in great detail and negotiate the best deal for the city before deciding on Aspers as being the operator that we believe can deliver the most.

“I am sure Aspers will provide a quality and varied offer. They already successfully deliver large casinos in London Westfield and Milton Keynes.”