Cardiff council and Orion Land & Leisure, advised by Jones Lang LaSalle, have invited operators to submit proposals for a casino at the city’s £700m Sports Village (pictured).
Operators including MGM Mirage, Kerzner International, Isle of Capri Casinos, Aspinalls, Harrah’s Entertainment and Stanley Leisure have been approached to run the 100-200,000 sq ft casino.
Orion Land & Leisure is aiming to select an operator by October.
Under the proposed deregulation of UK gambling, the casino will have 1,250 slot machines and is likely to include more than 40,000 sq ft of other leisure uses, such as bars and restaurants.
It is hoped that the Las-Vegas-style resort will act as a catalyst for the much-delayed 90-acre Sports Village overlooking Cardiff Bay.
Orion Land & Leisure was selected in May to develop a 15-acre slice of the Sports Village scheme. As well as the casino, it is responsible for developing a 500-bed five-star hotel, a 1,000-seat conference centre and a 650-space car park.
Private developer Bride Hall was last year selected for 300,000 sq ft of retail and leisure in 24 acres of the village, and has secured Marks & Spencer, Next and Waitrose to occupy more than 100,000 sq ft of food and non-food space.
References: EGi News 13/08/04
