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Greece is set to welcome more than €2.1 billion ($2.5 billion) in combined investment across two Athens-area casino resort projects, both scheduled to open by summer 2029.
The Hard Rock Integrated Resort Complex at Elliniko and Project Voria in Maroussi will mark the first large-scale casino developments within the Athens metropolitan area, with gaming positioned as one component within a wider hospitality and conference offering.
Hospitality takes priority over gaming in Elliniko design
The larger of the two projects, developed by Hard Rock with GEK TERNA on the site of the former Elliniko Airport, carries a price tag of €1.8 billion ($2.07 billion).
The development centers on a 197-meter tower housing a 1,100-room hotel, a conference center and an indoor entertainment arena, with several restaurants and bars rounding out the property.
A casino floor of 15,000 sq m is included within the wider complex. Approximately 20% of the project has been completed so far.
Executives at Hard Rock Athens IRC describe the resort primarily as a hospitality, entertainment and conference destination. They project the development could raise tourist arrivals to Attica by around 10%, with gaming making up only one part of the overall offering.
Maroussi development pairs casino relocation with public green space
Project Voria will relocate the Regency Casino Mont Parnes to Maroussi under a €380 million ($437 million) mixed-use plan backed by the Lampsa Group and Intralot interests. In addition to an 8,000 sq m casino, the scheme includes a five-star hotel, conference facilities and wellness amenities.
More than half of the site will transfer to the municipality as public green space, a component developers point to as evidence of the project’s civic dimension alongside its commercial one.
Transport capacity raises questions for both sites
Growth on this scale for the Athens hospitality sector has not gone without scrutiny. Transport specialists have warned that the two developments could add significant pressure to the already congested Poseidonos and Kifissias avenues unless further public transit investment accompanies the construction timeline.
Beyond questions of infrastructure, industry figures argue that gambling harm concerns should turn toward online platforms rather than land-based venues such as the two Athens projects.
Former Hellenic Gaming Commission President Dimitris Ntzanatos noted that licensed land-based casinos account for only a small proportion of Greece’s overall gambling market, with illegal online gambling posing the greater social challenge.