Bienvenido, Mr. Eurovegas! Quién ganará, Barcelona o Madrid? Cristina se libra La maldita reforma El gilipol<strong>las</strong> de la semana JETAS DE LA SEMANA: HASTA 63 DIPUTADOS CON CASA EN MADRID, QUE COBRAN DIETAS POR ALOJAMIENTO «Anterior Siguiente»
TIME Magazine Photos Videos Lists Life.com Style Olympics Subscribe Follow TIME Facebook Twitter Google + Tumblr NewsFeed U.S. Politics World Business Money Tech Health Science Entertainment Opinion Main Olympics Sports Intelligent Cities Travel Fareed Zakaria Videos Read more: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2107804,00.html#ixzz23JqWsjfp Spain's Big Gamble: What Two Cities Will Give Up to Win Euro<strong>Vegas</strong> By Lisa Abend / Madrid Wednesday, Mar. 07, 2012 Read more: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2107804,00.html#ixzz23JqKhS6U <strong>Las</strong> <strong>Vegas</strong> Sands chairman Sheldon A<strong>del</strong>son in Singapore in 2009, with Marina Bay Sands construction sites in the background Tim Chong / Files / Reuters inSha Billionaire casino magnate Sheldon A<strong>del</strong>son may be getting lots of attention in the U.S. for his outsize support of Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich, but in Spain, he represents a different sort of aspiration. In a country well on its way to a double-dip recession, A<strong>del</strong>son plans to build a $22.3 billion resort that promises to bring scads of tourists and jobs to the country. Yet, because he has not decided on an exact location and because his company, <strong>Las</strong> <strong>Vegas</strong> Sands, has what it calls "development needs" that include concessions currently contradictory to Spanish law, the effort is generating nearly as much controversy as enthusiasm. The Euro<strong>Vegas</strong> project envisioned by A<strong>del</strong>son would create a <strong>Vegas</strong>-like strip of 12 hotels, dozens of restaurants, a convention center, three golf courses, a stadium and six casinos. According to a study of the project by the Boston Consulting Group, which was obtained by El Mundo newspaper, the complex would generate 261,000 direct and indirect jobs — and this in a country with 23% unemployment. Needless to say, those kinds of numbers have made Euro<strong>Vegas</strong> an exceedingly attractive prospect for both Barcelona and Madrid — the two cities that, after years of scouting and negotiations, are the finalists for A<strong>del</strong>son's European venture. (PHOTOS: Hard Times Hit <strong>Las</strong> <strong>Vegas</strong>) "We want it to be located somewhere with significant tourism infrastructure already in place," says Ron Reese, vice president of public relations for <strong>Las</strong> <strong>Vegas</strong> Sands. "A transportation system able to handle the kind of numbers we're talking about. Proximity to other countries and, ideally, mild weather." Barcelona and Madrid both fit the criteria, which is why the longtime rivals in everything from political power to soccer now find themselves furiously competing to win A<strong>del</strong>son's favor. For Barcelona, that means playing up the region's