UK Casino Deal May Complicate Glazer's Plan

Manchester United has used its formidable brand name to market everything from sports equipment and soccer schools to a movie theater and an internet broadband service.

The team is now taking its merchandising efforts to a whole new level with its plans to build a UK casino. But that could cause headaches for its new owner, Malcolm Glazer, as he balances the interests of his prized acquisition with his US football franchise, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

On May 10, just two days before Glazer secured a majority stake in Manchester, the English soccer team said it had signed an agreement with Las Vegas Sands Corp. to develop a resort and casino near the team's stadium, Old Trafford.

The project could also create a dilemma for Glazer. The National Football League prohibits NFL team owners from holding an ownership interest in a casino and bars all teams and league personnel from having any promotional arrangements with gambling establishments, according to NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. But Aiello added that it wasn't clear whether the prohibition would apply to Manchester's casino plans, saying he wasn't familiar with the specifics of the proposal.