The luxury casino resort on the site of the former Athens airport (Hellinikon) will be ready by 2026.
In January 2020, Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment won the bid to build an integrated resort and casino, a project called 'Inspire Athens'.
“Right now, we anticipate that upon conclusion of the contractual negotiation process, permitting and design will take approximately 12 to 18 months”, Ray Pineault, Interim Chief Executive Officer at Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment told the Delphi Economic Forum.
He said that the resort was expected to open in 2025 or 2026.
The “Inspire Athens” plan has been drawn to yield profits, not only to Mohegan, but to Greece as well, both in the short term and the long term.
“We anticipate the IRC (resort) will grow international tourism in the Attica region by at least 10%,” Pineault said.
“It will be a facility that’s unforeseen anywhere else in all of Europe.”
'Inspire Athens' will be a 24/7 destination and will incorporate a luxury hotel, entertainment venues, convention centre, shopping, restaurants, bars, casino and a comprehensive mix of premium amenities.
On his part, the Mayor of the Municipality of Helliniko - Argyroupoli, Giannis Konstantatos stated that: "From the beginning we were in favour of the investment but with conditions... The 2,000-acre metropolitan park that will be free for the citizens, the construction of a Pontian Greek Palace and the re-housing of municipal structures are our main demands."
Lamda Development hopes to start construction work in Hellenikon in the autumn if it secures the property from the state next month.
*More on GCT: Why Mohegan Gaming chose to develop casino project in Greece
