Billion-pound Spanish casino given go-ahead

2007-11-27 15:07:15

A £12.2 billion casino has been given the go-ahead in Spain, it has been reported.

The owners hope that it will be the biggest casino resort in Europe, according to Jackpot.co.uk - and also estimate a possible 12 million visitors every year.

A spokesperson for Aristocrat Technologies, which is taking part in the project, said: "This is going to be a new version of Las Vegas in Europe."

"It's going to bring lots of jobs. Disneyland Paris will be tiny in comparison."

Currently titled Gran Escala, the resort will contain a vast casino, 32 hotels and five theme parks - one of which will have a James Bond theme, according to reports.

It will be spread out over 5,000 acres in Spain's desert.

The amount of money being pumped into the project dwarfs that of casino resorts in the US and Macau, which tend to cost just a few billion dollars.