ATHENS, Greece (CelebrityAccess) — Greek casino regulator the Hellenic Gaming Commission announced that Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment has won the initial right to build a major new casino gaming and entertainment resort on the site of the shuttered Hellenikon International Airport in Athens, Greece.
The proposed property, Inspire Athens, will be the first integrated casino and resort property in Greece, consisting of a luxury hotel, entertainment venues, and convention center, as well as shopping, dining, and casino games, Mohegan Gaming said.
The expected buildout cost for the property is roughly $1.1 billion.
“We understood that Inspire Athens was meant to symbolize more than an integrated resort,” Mario Kontomerkos, Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment’s Chairman and CEO said in October when the company announced plans to submit a bid.
“It is our hope that Inspire Athens would be the catalyst that sparks the entire development of the Hellinikon area into the coveted Athenian Riviera, forever redefining the modern identity of Greece,” he added.
Mohegan Gaming is partnering with Greek Industrial and Real Estate conglomerate GEK Terna for the project and beat out rivals for the venture. Hard Rock was the only other casino operator who submitted a bid on the project.
Mohegan Sun Gaming is best known for their flagship Mohegan Sun casino complex in Uncasville, Connecticut but have been focused on international expansion in recent years, including the construction of a large ICR at Incheon Airport in South Korea.
