According to reports over the weekend, Crown Casino, the Australian gaming company has withdrawn plans to launch in the UK after Crown Bingo objected to the use of its name.

The publication in the UK Trade Marks Journal on August 12th gave existing trade mark holders two months to lodge objections. Crown Bingo has stated that it had objected to the Crown Casino’s trademark being used for the “provision of gaming and casino services over a global computer network”.

Ian Erskine the director of operations for Crown Bingo commented: “Crown Bingo objected to Crown Casino going for online and offline use of the trade mark Crown Casino in the UK. They have pulled the online application on the back of the trade mark objection from Crown Bingo.

“We have spent many millions on building the Crown brand in UK, and we don’t see why Crown Casino should benefit from that. Practically no-one in the UK has heard of Crown Casino, unless they have been to the casino in Melbourne”

Crown Bingo is also objecting to Crown Casino developing its brand at land based venues in the UK. Aspers, the casino group which has sites in Swansea, Newcastle and Northampton and looking to open a further site later this year, is half owned by Crown Casino.