Hard Rock International Expresses Interest in Greek Casino Resort

The $8 billion Hellinikon project in Greece has caught the eye of Hard Rock International who has publicly stated their interest in it, soon after Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment (which is regarded as a favorite to land this deal) said it wanted to operate a casino as part of the “extensive complex.”

Hard Rock will take part in the Greek Government’s proposal process to issue an integrated resort and casino license at Athens’ Hellinikon Aiport site.

Rising Musical Legacy

The project has been in the works for the past year and a half…

…and it would take 24-26 months to complete the construction, some estimates say.

Hard Rock has revealed that it has received two donations from music artists of Greece to their music memorabilia collection. The one was from singer songwriter, Giorgos Seferis, and the other one from, Grigoris Bithikotsis. The latter is a direct homage to the nation’s musical heritage.

Jim Allen, CEO and chairman of Hard Rock International, said during a press conference at Hard Rock Cafe in Athens that the brand’s vision for Hellinikon was always a grand one.

“We have always believed Athens to be one of the world’s great gateway cities, and Hard Rock International envisions creating a must see destination that will help draw from the over 120m annual guests across 74 countries, driving year-round tourism and being an economic driver for Greece.

This marks another step in the company’s efforts to expand our world-class brand of entertainment and hospitality to Europe.”

Trust in Greece

He went on to add that “this announcement continues to illustrate Hard Rock’s commitment to Greece and the great city of Athens, following our investment in the company owned Athens Cafe when no one else was investing during the financial crisis in 2014.”

The casino is hailed as Europe’s first integrated casino resort and will include integrated hotels, convention facilities…

…entertainment, theme parks, luxury retail and fine dining and will occupy circa 15,000 square meters.

Rising From the Dead

The Hellinikon project has gone through many phases since its been conceived…

…and for the time being, it was even contemplated that it could be abandoned entirely after several delays. The outcome of this largely depended on the political situation in Greece which is very complex, with radical left coalition SYRIZA currently being in charge of the country.

However, the abandonment did not happen and in early August it was revealed who the shortlisted companies for the luxury complex were: Hard Rock and Mohegan Gaming.

Development & Investments Minister, Adonis Georgiadis, has said that “we are on the timetable. September 30 is the closing date of the competition, which should not be extended.”

Source:

“Hard Rock declares Greek casino resort interest”, casinobeats.com, August 27, 2019.