Operator News
Spain – New Novomatic Casino in Granada on track for September opening
By Phil - 3 July 2019
Granada’s largest casino should be up and running by mid-September according to the operator as building work is progressing “at a good pace”. The opening of the establishment will require an investment of €5m and will create 200 direct jobs.
The opening of the casino was originally planned for early summer but the management of the complex informed local press that it is a “large” project in which the previous installation was discarded and started again “from scratch” so that it could be tailor made for the allotted space. Staff members are already being trained including croupiers.
The large scale casino, which will be managed by Novomatic, will provide an additional boost to tourism in the province. Tourism has already increased due to the recently opened Madrid-Antequera-Granada AVE (High Speed Train) which opened to the public on July 26. The AVE means that the historic city in southern Spain is now connected to the Spanish capital and Barcelona by high-speed train. The line opened after an investment of € 1.675bn and 10 years of work.
Management is also finalising a cultural program for the casino which promises to bring top tier performers on Fridays and Saturdays. In addition local artists will also be encouraged to perform from Tuesday to Thursday with special orientation towards a young audience.
In July 2018 the Ministry of Finance and Public Administration awarded Novomatic the licence to operate a casino in Grenada. The licence is valid for 15 years. The new project was looked upon favourably by the gaming board, as the new facilities will be integrated into the tourist complex of Monachil, which already has a hotel with spaces for events and celebrations, sports areas and restaurants. The location (the municipality of Monachil in Sierra Nevada – a mountain range in the province of Granada) will contribute to the promotion of tourism in the area, which was one of the key requirements in the bidding process. The location and its relationship with the surroundings of the new casino has also been taken into account, since no opposition has been presented by residents or resident associations belonging to the area.
In addition the Novomatic bid contains larger spaces and higher quality specifications than those established in the tender. Specifically, the gaming rooms will be located in 1,670 square meters, and the casino will include complementary facilities of a bar, restaurant, living rooms and entertainment facilities. It also provides for a larger allocation of parking spaces exclusively for the casino, with a capacity for 213 vehicles.
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. According to government estimates, the casino could welcome as many as around 50,000 visits in the first year of operation.
