The process to select the site for
An independent panel is looking at the arguments for and against seven possible locations.
First under scrutiny is the application by
The bid has been mired in controversy ever since it emerged Deputy PM John Prescott stayed with AEG's owner Philip Anschutz.
But the chairman of the Casino Advisory Panel has said the row would not influence any decision.
Professor Stephen Crow said: "The answer is no of course it won't.
The Millennium Dome "Does it complicate the matter? Yes, because it has resulted in a whole lot of silly stories going around that make all our lives that much more complicated."
He also said Tory charges that the whole process was "mired in confusion" were "nonsense".
"We have a very clear course, we have a clear programme, I think it is quite fair, we are totally impartial and to say we are mired in confusion is just, well I think it's a comment that is not made on the evidence," he said.
The other towns in the running to build the super-casino are Blackpool,
Only one super-casino is initially being allowed under the terms of the Gambling Act 2005.
Further hearings will be held around the country later this week and next.
