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Land secured for Spanish ‘Las Vegas' after delays
Aparcel of some 1,000 hectares of land in the Ontiñena area of Spain, one of five sites shortlisted, has been signed up by the promoters of ‘Gran Scala', a large-scale project that promises to attract 25 million visitors a year and lead to the creation of 200,000 jobs, directly or indirectly.
The original deadline for completion of the first phase of the ambitious project, which was announced in December 2007, was 2010, with construction due to start in the fourth quarter of 2008. Now, construction is due to start next autumn on the first phase, which will occupy 1,000 hectares and employ around 26,000 people according to International Leisure Development (ILD), the consortium headed by Managing Director Paul Stephan Allegrini.
By 2012, he has promised, Gran Scala will offer ten casinos, 25,000 hotel rooms and several theme parks, built as a result of investment by un-named partners of some €17,000 million. By 2022 the complex will double in size again, to feature 32 casinos, 18 theme parks and 400 restaurants, by which time operators will have invested over €1,300 million.
Spanish regional government is supporting the development of the desert site and, while ILD is not disclosing most of the investors it reports as being on board, gaming companies Aristocrat and Casinos Group Tranchant appear among the ‘partners' listed online at the project website - www.granscala.com
