HARRAH’S MAASTRICHT CASINO (3)
[BIZ: Maastricht, January 15] The paper says that the plan includes a 500-room hotel; several restaurants to seat 1250; a 3000 seat theater; 25 exclusive designer shops; conference and catering facilities for 2000; wellness facilities including swimming, sauna, massage and beauty treatment and a 12,000m2 casino with 100 gaming tables and 2000 slots. The extent to which the city’s existing facilities or those at Valkenburg (said to be talking to potential Asian partners) would be incorporated in the plans is not mentioned. Harrah's and Holland Casinos estimate that the five-year construction period would produce 3450 construction jobs and 2400 jobs with suppliers. The gambling and entertainment facilities would employ another 2000 and another 2400 would find jobs with suppliers. It is also forecast that the resort would bring an extra 2 million visitors to the city, meaning an extra 180,000 overnight stays and an average expenditure of EUR 160 per person per day. The link provided below puts this story in the context of Harrah's overall plans for developments in Europe. Incidentally the plan also recalls Professor Luc Soete’s earlier plans for South Limburg as a new Florida in Europe, without the Hurricanes -one hopes - and now with a major Las Vegas flavor.
Harrah's Entertainment, the world's largest gaming company, owns, operates, and/or manages more than 40 casinos in three countries, primarily under the Harrah's, Caesar’s and Horseshoe brand names. ‘Dagblad de Limburger’ reported Saturday (January 14) that the company’s plans for Maastricht (about which speculation has been ongoing for several months) are now taking shape. These plans are to develop a EUR 550m mixed-use gambling and entertainment resort in Maastricht, in partnership with Holland Casinos, the Netherlands' state-owned casino monopoly.
http://www.lvbusinesspress.com/articles/2005/12/23/news/news03.txt