Genting Group to Invest €105m in Andorra Casino Resort
The Malaysian-based conglomerate, which owns 47 land-based casinos in the UK, announced plans to build a casino resort in the tiny European nation that sits between France and Spain.
Several bidders are reported to be in the running for a single casino licence, with Genting being among other major international companies. Genting said in a statement that it wanted to build an integrated resort with a casino facility in the Clot d’Emprivat area.
The complex, which will cost more than €105m (£93m) if it is built, will feature musical and cultural events as well as casino gambling. The resort will also feature a variety of restaurants, retail space and other facilities in what looks on paper like a Las Vegas style project.
We want to develop a resort with a unique offering that will complement and boost the existing entertainment experience Andorra currently offers to both residents and visitors. Genting Group Statement
The Genting SA consortium consisting of professional gambler David Gray, leisure specialist Mark Vlassopulos, and local businessman Marc Giebels van Bekestein, is behind the official application.
The bidding process for Andorra’s sole casino licence closed at the end of October 2017. The Andorra Gaming Control Board must not evaluate all proposals before selecting a preferred bidder. The bids will be scored on a 100-point scale according to how suitable they are for the future development of the site.
The land, in the Escaldes-Engordany parish in the southern part of Andorra, where the new resort will be built, is already available and covers 21,000 square feet excluding terraces and other outdoor spaces.
The potential casino site in Andorra ©CasinoReview
Genting’s main competitor for the site is reported to be Spanish casino operator Cirsa, which has submitted two separate bids for the licence. Both proposals are understood to include the construction of multi-purpose complexes with both gambling and non-gambling facilities like the Genting plan.
Andorra covers an area of 467 square kilometres and houses a population of around 77,000 residents.
