By L. Kalamara
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An amendment that would legally pave the way for the transfer of the greater Athens area’s one and only casino from atop a mountain summit to a more accessible urban location will reportedly be included in pending legislation for a new overall gaming framework in the country.
Although the prospect of moving the casino run by a Hyatt Regency-led consortium from atop Mt. Parnitha – overlooking Athens from the northwest – is considered imperative for ensuring the business’ viability, other gaming operators in the wider region have expressed opposition, claiming their concession interests will be damaged.
Along those lines, a union representing casino workers recently sent a letter to the prime minister and relevant finance minister warning that the relocation of the Mont Parnes casino to Athens proper would lead to the closure of casinos in Rio – a township outside the western port city of Patras – and Loutraki, a coastal resort west of the greater Athens area on the Gulf of Corinth.
Both of the former casinos are facing enormous economic problems. The union claimed that 1,600 jobs are on the line if the Mont Parnes casino is allowed to “come off the mountain”. Just as interesting is a warning by the union that a future gaming license for a coastal Athens property development project (Helleniko) would also be undermined.
A handful of MPs from the ruling SYRIZA party have also expressed opposition to the Mont Parnes casino relocation.
More than half a dozen casino concessions in Greece have been granted, over the past two decades, on a strictly geographical basis.
