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Greece’s two major integrated casino resort developments are moving closer to completion, with the Hard Rock Integrated Resort Complex at Elliniko and the Voria project in Maroussi expected to open by summer 2029, marking the first time Athens will host large-scale casino developments within the metropolitan area.
The largest investment is the Hard Rock Integrated Resort Complex, being developed with GEK TERNA at the former Elliniko Airport site. The €1.8bn project will feature a 197-metre tower housing a 1,100-room hotel, conference centre, indoor entertainment arena, multiple restaurants and bars, alongside a 15,000sq m casino. Construction began in February 2025 and around 20 per cent of the project has already been completed.
Meanwhile, Project Voria will relocate the historic Regency Casino Mont Parnes to Maroussi through a €380m mixed-use development backed by the Lampsa Group and Intralot interests. The scheme includes a five-star hotel, conference facilities, wellness amenities and an 8,000sq m casino, with more than half of the site being transferred to the municipality as public green space.
Both developments have reignited debate over the impact of integrated resorts on Athens’ infrastructure. Transport specialists have warned that the projects could place significant additional pressure on the already congested Poseidonos and Kifissias avenues unless further public transport improvements are delivered.
Developers, however, argue the projects will generate wider economic benefits beyond gaming. Hard Rock Athens IRC executives say the resort has been designed primarily as a hospitality, entertainment and conference destination capable of increasing tourist arrivals to Attica by around 10 per cent, with gaming representing only one component of the wider development.
Industry figures also argue that concerns over gambling harm should focus increasingly on online gambling rather than land-based casinos. Former Hellenic Gaming Commission president Dimitris Ntzanatos noted that licensed land-based casinos account for only a small proportion of Greece’s overall gambling market, with illegal online gambling posing the greater social challenge.
