Casino mogul Sheldon Adelson is the kind of man that usually gets his way and that muscle flexing is no more evident these days than in his enormous EuroVegas project.
See, the Las Vegas Sands CEO wants smoking to be allowed in EuroVegas, a move that will undercut current Spanish laws that forbids smoking inside public establishments.
But the man is undeterred, even going so far as to say that he would delay the start of the construction of EuroVegas unless the Spanish government lifts its smoking restrictions. So Spain president Mariano Rajoy is stuck between a rock and a hard place, or in this case, the demands of an American and rising unemployment in his country. Not exactly the kind of place you’d want to be making decisions on.
Adding to the pressure for the El Presidente is the strong opposition of just acquiescing to the demands of the casino operator. The country’s Health Minister Ana Mato is opposed to changing these laws and even has the support of card-carrying Spanish healthcare professionals. But even if their voices are loud, chances are they still won’t get heard because here’s the bottom line: Spain needs EuroVegas more than EuroVegas needs Spain.
The country is in danger of falling deeper and deeper into its own mess with rising unemployment now pegged at well over 30 percent only exacerbating its messed up situation. Spain needs jobs for its people, something EuroVegas will provide in the thousands. So at the cost of ‘amending’ this smoking law to at least make an exception for Sands does sound like a sensible move, right?
Like what our own Steven Stradbrooke noted a few weeks ago, Adelson will likely get his way again after reports indicated that the government is already looking avenues on how to go around the ban on smoking. And besides, it’s not like the Spanish government hasn’t bent over backwards to other demands from Sheldon. It’s already given the latter tax breaks and a slew of other accommodations to Sands so the latter doesn’t pack its bags and find another location to build its mammoth resort complex.
Lifting the smoking ban is just another one of them, another means to an end that will net Spain employment for its people and huge economic gains down the road.
