If you like to gamble, then you’ve surely heard of Harrah’s Casinos, possibly the most famous being the one in Las Vegas.  And you might have even known that Harrah’s recently bought the Caesars line of casinos, hotels, and resorts.  Whether it’s a result of that purchase or a grand scheme to bring the joys of luxury casinos to all parts of the world, Harrah’s now has plans to build two casinos in Europe – one in Spain and one in Slovenia.

The largest name in casinos, worldwide, isn’t just blowing smoke either.  They’ve planned ahead and are taking the vagaries of the European gambling market into consideration.  First, they aren’t doing the American stereotypical “rush in and take over” with American assertiveness.  Instead, Harrah’s is partnering with European companies:  in Spain, they’ve chosen Spanish developer “El Reino de Don Quijote de La Mancha SA” and in Slovenia, it’s “Hit Group,” a company that already operates nine European casinos.  The Spanish partnership is being set up as a 60/40 split, with Harrah’s owning the majority, and the Slovenian venture will be a straight 50/50.

Harrah’s intends to open the casino in Spain by 2008.  It will actually be branded with the Caesars name and will be built in Ciudad Real, just a couple of hours south of Madrid.  Initial estimates suggest a $700 million property that will feature a conference and convention center, a spa and a 3,000-seat Coliseum theater.  The hotel will aim at a five star rating, with 850 rooms, and the casino will be a whopping 50,000 square feet.  The resort will also offer a 30,000 square foot spa and a retail center of Forum Shops reminiscent of those in the Las Vegas Caesars, but with European taste and flair.

The resort in Slovenia is also estimated to run about $700 million, and it is intended for Nova Gorica, a city on the border with Italy – only about 100 miles from Venice!  The property will also have a 50,000 square foot casino floor, with 1,500 slots and 70 table games.  Also planned for the luxury Slovenian resort is a 50,000 square foot convention center similar to the one in Spain, but current designs and plans are aiming for over 1000 rooms in the hotel portion.    

Harrah’s plans for the two new European resorts do have a few glitches.  For example, Spain has laws restricting marketing and advertising of casinos, and Slovenia has a law that does not allow a non-European Union company, entity or individual to own more than 25% of a Slovenian property.  Harrah’s is hoping that the new loosening of regulatory laws in the E.U. will help change or abridge these laws to allow for the fantastic tourism opportunities that the two new properties will provide.

If everything does work out as planned, who knows how things will evolve in the world of gaming, especially with Harrah’s being the owner of the popular World Series of Poker. In a few years we might be seeing the famous competition taking places in some unusual locales...like the new Caesars in Spain or even the Harrah’s casino to be built in Slovenia!