New rumours of large-scale casino project in Extramadura

Earlier this year, the local government in Extremadura passed a new bill which opened the door for the creation of integrated resorts in the autonomous community.

On 28 August, the Official Bulletin for Extremadura published the text of Ley 7/2018 or the Extremaduran Law for Large Leisure Complexes (Ley Extremeña de Grandes Instalaciones de Ocio or Legio).

“The law defines a legal framework with sufficient flexibility and scale [to allow] different kinds of initiatives, which until now lacked the legal guarantees to be implemented and developed,” the text stated. “The system of guarantees that the law sets out also intends to open up the international tourism market in Extremadura.”

Canadian developer Triple Five Group had previously proposed an integrated resort project in the town of Castilblanco in Badajoz province, but in July, the firm announced that it had opted not to situate the project in Extremadura and was instead considering neighbouring Andalusia.

However, it now looks like the region may have found an alternate investor. In a recent press release, World Poker Fund Holdings (WPFH) stated that it had secured a contract to design, build and oversee the development of a master data centre at the Castilblanco Luxury Casino and Resort Project, in partnership with Periodic Holdings. WPFH will also operate an online casino and stated that it has already obtained a licence.