pedro pete

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25369033

Plans to build a super casimo based resort near Madrid have been abandoned as conditions relating to tax levels and exemptions to the smoking laws were too far for the authroties to reach.

Hard to believe that a project on this scale could not go ahead because compromise could not be reached by both sides. That is, until you see all the trouble the Universal Studio project near Murcia has gone through.

As usual, the real losers will be those who may have benefitted from employment.

The last sentence refers to the Catholic Church's concerns about it encouraging prostitution. Curious in a country where there seem to be prostitutes attached to every road sign.

agoreira

It´s been discussed in another thread, but Madrid bent over backwards to accommodate Eurovegas, agreeing to many things, including smoking.
http://www.libremercado.com/2013-09-...os-1276500284/
I didn´t read all the details, but I think Eurovegas wanted Madrid to accept a lot more financial responsibility, including making up any shortfalls.
Adelson tells us he cancelled the project, but of course Madrid prefers to tell us they cancelled it. It would seem he made them an offer that even they could refuse, they refused his terms, so he cancelled. I wonder how much this failure, along with the Olympics, cost Madrid, millions I imagine.

Lenox

My opinion: Good riddance.

IamStu

If I may ask, why?
Such a place would have provided many people with work. It would have encouraged growth of other businesses and the positive knock on effect would have been huge!
I fail to see any good reason why someone would make such a comment.

cricketman

Seriously? This was a terrible badly thought out project

The only positive for Spain is that it would have employed a few tens of thousand low skilled temporary jobs cleaning, hanging up jackets or waitering etc

Eurovegas wanted their own laws and were going to ship in the management from other countries. Hardly a good future for Spain, being some kind of emperial plaything.

It would have turned a part of Madrid into an American version of the Costa del Sol. The tourism industry hasnt exactly been good for that part of the country. Spaniards in tourist areas continue to have lower wages and higher unemployment than elsewhere in the country

amideislas

And of course, everybody visiting would be accommodated for free, and nobody would've brought any money with them or spent it on hotels or food & drinks or taxis or shopping or sightseeing or...

I reckon, like so many others, you figure it's just not worth it if every cleaning woman doesn't become rich.

Well, if that's the prerequisite, I would've pulled out too.

Yes lucky they didn't bother. Spain should stick to handouts from the EU. That'll make us all rich...

IamStu

Absolutely! Sure the venue would only employ a few thousand low skilled workers. There are many low skilled workers who need work. Temporary or not.
Secondly, look at the bigger picture. For example, where do you think the supplies for the place will come from? Other firms which might also take on more staff. Importers, uniform makers, power suppliers, security, energy, cleaners, caterers ... even the bloody cigarette suppliers will benefit.
And so what about there being a mini America. Look at the costas ... plenty of mini Britains.
Or should we say, keep your money, your taxes and your employment. The poor are quite used to being poor thank you. This country is rich enough without any further revenues, and employment is second to none!

cricketman

The suppliers would probably have been American, selling hot dogs and pizzas

Stuff that. If that is what Spain's future looks like then no thank you.

amideislas

You're a stitch, cman.
Apparently where you live there's only tapas and sherry. Again, I think it would be good for you to get out once in a while. Face your phobias head-on. Stuff like that...

Besides, you might learn something. But that could seem rather shocking to your loyal fans here.

guirijohn

The irony is that in areas where Spain does create employment, notably in tourism, agriculture and construction, the jobs generally go to immigrants because the Spanish do not wish to do them.

cricketman

No, they dont really do tapas up in the North. And sherry is an Andalucian thing too

cricketman

Exactly

Eurovegas would do nothing to stop the high rate of graduate unemployment, as there would be so few skilled jobs

Spain needs to invest in their youth. Their young people are relatively well educated and willing to work for relatively low salaries if only somebody would trust in them

There is no future is creating lots of cr*p jobs for the intellectually challenged

Lynn R

You cannot, however, run a successful economy nor a country with only graduate employees. Let's put it this way - when the street cleaners of Madrid went on strike, their absence was painfully obviously within 24 hours and all kinds of consequences harmful to society could result. If some marketing or media studies graduates don't show up for work for a few weeks, would anybody miss them?

cricketman

Yes I know that

But graduate skilled workers create jobs for everybody else

If this management/professional role is actually undertaken by an outsourced or foreign management company who then only contract unskilled Spaniards because they are cheap, or because the weather is nice, then the future for Spain and Spanish people will be incredibly bleak

Relampago

I 'm happy. Nor Euro-shit, nor Olympics. And do not say because Madrid do not deserve it , but because the course had playmate into debt , and Eurovegas was a nest of corruption and mafia in addition that were unthinkable requirements of this scoundrel : do not wanted to pay taxes, hire immigrants with poverty wages, add a multimillion clause if the business did not work, smoking in their facilities, etc etc. He wanted a State for him only, something incredible. Thank goodness has prevailed the dignity. Also, I don't think that his demands have been something last minute. This scoundrel possibly lost interest in Madrid when it lose the Olympics, and has been demanding the unthinkable as an excuse to go to Japan. Well, so you go to Japan, here we don't want a nest of corruption and money. The real Olympics will oust this corrupt political class, and fight for the R & D , industry , agriculture, etc. These are the true olympics

I never liked Eurovegas. Any person who is not a politician, a businessman of the construction or a banker interested in becoming a millionaire with Eurovegas , can sleep peacefully. Nor Euro-shit nor Olympics...

Bye, bye, Eurovegas. We don't want more shit