Changes in online license investment
A pool of six gaming operators interested in a casino at Greece’s Elliniko International Airport has dwindled to just three. All of them are U.S.-based: Caesars Entertainment, Hard Rock International and Mohegan Gaming. France’s Group Lucien Barriere, the Las Vegas Sands Corp., Melco Resorts & Entertainment and other, smaller investment and construction companies have bowed out, reported eKathimerini.com.
The bidding has not yet officially begun for the license to run an integrated resort near Athens, and a winner may not be announced until the first quarter of 2019, the website reported.
Local developer Lamda Development has been chosen to build the integrated resort, which is part of a larger privatization program and a condition of the country’s third bailout package, reported Casino News Daily.
The winning bidder will be expected to build a 600,000-square-meter (6.45 million-square-foot) resort worth about €1 billion (US$1.138 million). The larger complex will include hotel towers, convention facilities, food and beverage options and retail as well as other attractions. According to a 2016 report by the Greek Foundation for Economic and Industrial Research, the resort will create 10,000 construction jobs, and 75,000 permanent jobs after it opens.
