Five casino operators — four of them American — are reportedly frontrunners to win the right to build Greece’s only integrated resort casino.

Earlier this month, the Hellenic Gaming Commission (HGC) opened its consultation on the terms of the sole casino license at the proposed €8b integrated resort at Athens’ former Hellinikon airport. The consultation’s initial phase is set to run until September 10.

On Wednesday, local media outlet Ekathimerini reported that five major operators – Caesars Entertainment, Hard Rock International, Las Vegas Sands, Melco Resorts & Entertainment and Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment – had scheduled meetings with the HGC to discuss the project further.

Both Hard Rock and Melco (the latter via its Melco International Development offshoot) are already involved in mega-resort projects in Spain and Cyprus, respectively, leading Ekathimerini to suggest they may eventually balk at the Hellinikon project’s expected €1b commitment, thereby boosting the likelihood that one of the other three US firms will seal the deal.