Barcelona possible site for American casino complex

A new casino, hotel and business complex, which would generate about 30,000 new jobs during the construction stage, could be built in Barcelona, although Madrid is also a candidate for the €3-6 billion project.

The decision by the Las Vegas Sands Corporation, which is at present focusing on the two Spanish cities, will be finalised in September. However there is also the possibility that the Eurovegas complex could be located elsewhere in Europe.

The land offered in Barcelona is close to the airport on the Delta del Llobregat, but there is some opposition to the site on the grounds that more development in this area could endanger the natural habitat of wild life, especially birds, in the river delta area south of the city.

The Catalan regional government appears to favour the project on the grounds that it would not only bring jobs to the region where unemployment is high but would also stimulate a new sort of tourism.

There are already four other casinos in Catalonia. The most recent, Casino Costa Brava, was opened in 2010 in Lloret de Mer on the coast about 100 kms northeast of Barcelona.