After throwing a glance at Valencia and Dubai, the developers who intend to bring the Las Vegas in Europe, have finally made their choice in the desert of Los Monegros - the place selected for becoming home of Gran Scala City. Gran Scala, an extremely ambitious project, is at the moment only a glittering appearance in the northern Spain, but in the future it is announced as the greatest leisure resort in Europe, including a peerless gambling center, theme parks, a racecourse and many others leisure activities.

The Gran Scala project has made good progress today, but there are still challenges to take up. At this moment, when the boom of the gambling world is more than a story, even if affected by the global crisis, who could properly foresee the future of this Las Vegas or Macau clone in the European version? According to the initial proposal, this complex could be born in France, in Valencia or on the shores of the Persian Gulf in Dubai. Once the decision on the location had been taken, its promoters, members of the ILD consortium, in partnership with independent government of Aragon,  announced the effective implementation in 2012.

At the announcement moment, back in 2007, Sebastien Tranchant, the general manager of the ILD Consortium, also owner of the eponymous French society, advertised that this great leisure complex would consist of 32 casinos, 70 hotels, 232 restaurants, 500 shops, a racecourse, a golf course, 5 theme parks, museums and a convention center. In other words, a city in the city! Given the almost ideal weather and perfect location in the county of Aragon, “Gran Scala” hopes to attract at least 25 millions of tourists.

However, its location in the desert and its volume raises water and energy  issues. In addition, some residents of surrounding communities have expressed their concerns about the environmental and social impact of a project of this size and the Government of Aragon announced that a development plan would be map out and emphasis would be placed in the environmental field. Moreover, Gran Scala will create over 65.000 jobs in the region and this should, in essence, dispel people’s doubts.

Nevertheless, given the social responsibilities that this type of project requires, the 32 casinos in the Center will be under the rigorous rule of the Government of Aragon, having to obey a specific legal system. This will govern gambling matters and will define the type of games allowed.