Former US base at Gournes on Crete set to host new casino

The government is moving ahead with the utilization of the plot that used to host the US military base at Gournes, near Iraklio on Crete, and is now preparing to decide on the precise position of the island's casino.

Sources say that the joint ministerial decision that the Finance Ministry is drawing up will set Gournes, in the municipality of Hersonissos, as the geographical location for the construction of the casino by the owner of the permit already issued for Crete.

This decision, which is to be completed in the next few days, will put the property back on its utilization course set by state sell-off fund TAIPED. The previous New Democracy government had also tried to utilize the Gournes property in 2014, but without success, so it decided that it would be endowed with a casino license.

The SYRIZA government that took over in 2015 froze that process until...