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The government will be hoping that luck is on its side today, with a close vote expected by parliament over plans to open the UK's first supercasino.

According to reports, a number of Labour rebels are planning to vote against the proposal to build the controversial casino in Manchester.

An independent panel recommended that the city should be granted the licence in January, with the proposed venue seeing off competition from London's Millennium Dome and Blackpool, which had been seen as the favourite.

However, some critics remain opposed to the concept of the supercasino, while others say that the process for selecting a site for the giant new entertainment facility was flawed and that Blackpool should have won the tender in order to aid the regeneration of the northern seaside town.

Over 100 MPs, including 83 Labour parliamentarians, have previously given their support to a Commons motion expressing "surprise and regret" that Manchester was chosen as the home for the first supercasino and commentators believe that over 30 Labour rebels could join with the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats in voting against the proposal today.

If the government loses the vote on the gambling order, which will be debated in both the Commons and the Lords, it will also be unable to grant licences to smaller casinos in 16 other locations which have been identified.

Gordon Marsden, one of the Blackpool Labour MPs leading the planned rebellion against the plans, told the Reuters news agency that he though the vote would be "very tight" in both houses.

But defending the proposals, culture secretary Tessa Jowell warned that there "could be no plan B quickly" if MPs or peers defeated the casino plans.

"I would have to consider very carefully and consult widely with colleagues," she told the Financial Times in an interview.