Barcelona casino area downsized
The plan for a new tourism and entertainment development in Barcelona, Spain, is moving ahead after a major change that cut its projected gaming area to a seventh of the original size.
Spain.- A plan for a new tourism and entertainment area in Barcelona, Spain is moving ahead after a revamp that cut its projected gaming area to a seventh of the original size. Both Melco group and Genting group are bidding for separate casino licenses in the development.
The project formerly known as “BCN World” now is named “Complejo Turístico y Recreativo de Vila-Seca y Salou” (Spanish for “Leisure and Tourism Complex of Vila-Seca and Salou”). Construction works are schedules in mid-2017 with a total investment expected to reach EUR2.5 billion (US$2.8 billion). It has not been revealed how much of that investment is to be gaming-related.
The overall development area of the project has been cut by about a fourth, to around 745,000 square metres (8.0 million sq feet). There will be a maximum of two casinos, with a total area of 30,000 square metres. Original plans envisaged six casinos, covering a combined area of 210,000 square metres.
At this point, three investors have been selected for the second phase of the casino tender process: the Hard Rock group; the Melco group and Spanish-based Grup Peralada, in partnership with the Genting Group.
