Cordish Gaming’s €2.2b Madrid casino plan rejected as unviable

Casino operator Cordish Companies’ plan to build a €2.2b resort in Spain have hit a major stumbling block after Madrid officials rejected the plan as unviable.

Last December, Cordish announced plans to build a major casino, hotel and resort complex on 134 hectares of land near Madrid’s Barajas airport, which would operate under the name Live! Resorts Madrid. It was to be the first international gaming operation for Cordish, whose stateside properties include the popular Maryland Live.

On Friday, Madrid’s Minister of Economy, Employment and Finance, Engracia Hidalgo issued a statement saying that a “profound, serious and rigorous” review of the Cordish proposal had left the government skeptical that the project was “viable from an economic and organizational point of view.”

The statement claimed that the Cordish proposal would require the community to spend €340m to upgrade the surrounding road and rail infrastructure, which would impose a “significant burden” on the community’s budget.