All hell is breaking loose in Jolly Olde over rights to build England's first Las Vegas-style mega-casino, and now the U.S. company Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) has jumped in the middle of the maelstrom.

Just last week the Casino Advisory Panel advising Britain's Dept. for Culture, Media and Sport released its recommendation that Manchester be chosen to host this casino. This was a bombshell to the press and locals who had touted Blackpool or London as prohibitive favorites.

Once the site was chosen, the game was afoot for potential casino operators. Krezner International seemed to have the inside pole, but now Las Vegas Sands, on a roll from its China successes, has announced they will enter the competition. The Sands has world-class speed and a fat wallet, although they are already committed to another enormous development on Hengqin Island near Macau.

As you can imagine, rumors are flying about other potential bidders for the rights, including Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE:HET) and MGM Mirage (NYSE:MGM).

The plot thickens even more, however. Members of Parliament, led by the Blackpool contingent, are demanding reopening of the decision-making process. They seem to be gaining a great deal of support, although it's too early to put odds on their chances.

Watch the news over the next couple of days. Odds are, no contest will be quite as entertaining.