Full house: Benidorm's beaches attract millions of tourists each year - but officials hope that casinos will encourage visitors to spend more moneyTourism chiefs plan to turn Benidorm into the Las Vegas of Europe by allowing luxury hotels to open casinos.
The resort, which attracts a million Britons a year, could soon become a mecca for gamblers if proposed changes in the law are approved.
Hotel bosses are lobbying to allow guests to bet on cards, slot machines and roulette.
The plans have the backing of tourist officials who hope to attract bigger-spending holidaymakers to the Costa Blanca resort in eastern Spain.
Last year the tourism hotspot recorded its lowest visitor arrival figures in two decades.
And while the average tourist visiting Benidorm spends £54 a day - well below the £83 average for the whole of Spain.
Hoteliers association Hosbec came up with the plan, which has the backing of Benidorm's town hall.
Hosbec chairman Toni Mayor said: 'It's important to do it as quickly as possible, as our future depends on attracting this type of tourist.'
Benidorm, the setting for British comedian Johnny Vegas's television series, recently topped a poll by travel firm Thomson of Britons' favourite holiday destinations.
A fifth of the resort's 70,000 population are British and there are more than 600 bars, including 70 British-themed pubs.
Benidorm was a sleepy village of just 1,500 people until young mayor Pedro Zaragoza Orts recognised the potential of mass tourism in the late 1950s.
Despite a drop in visitor arrivals last year, the resort is still one of Europe's most visited tourist destinations, attracting around six million visitors each year.
source: dailymail
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