Manchester United, confirmed this week as the richest football club in the world, announced today that it is in talks over the possibility of further boosting its income by building a supercasino at its Old Trafford ground.

A United States-based casinos operator has approached the club to discuss plans to build a giant gambling venue. The operator is believed to be Las Vegas Sands, which owns the giant Venetian Hotel on the Las Vegas strip.

Earlier this week it was reported that Manchester United's turnover was £171.5 million last year, one-third of which came from ticket sales, the rest from merchandise and media rights. While the figure made the club the richest in the world, United's income dipped since 2003 and Real Madrid, the Spanish football powerhouse, has started to catch the former Premiership and European champions in the earnings stakes.  

A casino at Old Trafford could house up to 1,250 slot machines with unlimited stake and prize money under controversial Government plans to liberalise the gambling casinos laws.