Operator News
Spain – Licence for new casino in Granada to be awarded soon
By Phil - 13 March 2018
The casino licence for Granada will be awarded in April or early May according to the Minister of Finance and Public Administration of the Andalusia government María Jesús Montero.
The Minister said it was “good news” that a number of prestigious companies in the sector had submitted bids as part of the public tender for the casino for the provincial capital.
Senor Montero emphasised the creation of 200 direct jobs. The project “will be a magnet for tourism and will allow the creation of employment,” he said.
In February 2017, The Regional Government of Andalusia first announced that it would issue an order authorising a new casino in the city of Granada taking the number of casinos in the region to six. Licences are valid for fifteen years and are renewable. The operator will also be responsible for offering complementary services such as a bar, restaurant, and other entertainment facilities. The main game room must have a minimum capacity for 500 people, with a minimum area of 750 square meters.
In May 2017, the details of the public tender were published in the Regional Government’s Official Bulletin. Potential applicants will be awarded extra points for the overall architectural vision of the project, the number of jobs it will create, the operators’ experience in the sector, as well as if whether for tax purposes the company is located in Andalucía. Points will also be awarded for the economic impact of the casino on the area, and will also take into account municipal reports on urban planning.
In January 2018 Spanish operator Cirsa Gaming Corporation announced that it had put forward a bid for the new casino licence. If the company is granted the license, then it will make an initial investment of €9m.
According to government estimates, the casino could welcome as many as around 50,000 visits in the first year of operation. The casino may not be more than 30 kilometres from the capital meaning that the casino must “fall into the capital’s zone of influence” and applicants had until the end of August last year to submit their proposals.
