The Europa Vegas project could cost around 17 billion euros. Madrid’s regional prime minister, Esperanza Aguirre, has meanwhile met Mr Adelson five times, as the two Spanish cities compete to be picked to host the project.
“We should change whatever norms have to be changed,” Ms Aguirre was quoted as saying. “We have to encourage this … though there are some demands that can be accepted and others that cannot.”
Both regions hope the project will have the kind of financial success that Mr Adelson’s properties in Singapore and Macau have had. The project is expected to create 260,000 new jobs. But opposition leaders in both cities worry that this will cause an increase in gambling addiction, crime, suicides and bankruptcies.