Hard Rock, Melco, Genting among the suitors
Gaming companies angling to be part of the Catalonian project formerly known as BCN World have three more months to submits their design plans, according to the World Casino Directory.
A partnership of Melco International Entertainment Ltd. and Hard Rock International is competing for one of the casino licenses, while local firm Grupo Peralada and its partner, Malaysian giant Genting, is vying for a second. Each of the companies has deposited a bond worth approximately $2.7 million and committed to buying land to build hotels, casinos and shopping areas among other resort attractions.
The Catalonian government explained that the extra time would allow the bidders to prepare their proposals in “a timely manner” while fulfilling all legal and financial requirements.
“It must be interpreted that the project is still alive and that the operators’ interest is intact,” Salou Mayor Pere Granados told media sources.
Catalonia has four smaller casinos. It’s expected that the larger development could create 13,000 direct jobs and draw 5 million new tourists per year by 2019 and add $1.2 billion into the local economy.
