A legal challenge by the Casino Platja de Palma has been rejected by the Superior Court of Justice in the Balearic Islands in Spain, which ruled in favor of the decision by the executive branch to allow the Gran Casino Teatro Balear to open the second casino in Mallorca’s capital, according to a G3 Newswire.

The ruling by the court clears the way for the Gran Casino Teatro Balear to operate a casino on the Comptat del Roselló de Palma square. The court was also in agreement with the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, which also ruled in favor of a second Palma casino; the other being Casino de Mallorca. While the decision by the Balearic Islands High Court effectively ends the legal action taken by the Casino Platja de Palma to open a second casino in the capital city, the Gran Casino Teatro Balear’s legal challenges and obstacles are far from over.

A decision by Palma’s city council earlier this year was against allowing building permission for the casino because the draft submitted violates local zoning rules and its construction would be within a zone of historical interest. To add to its troubles, after construction had begun and heating and air conditioning had been installed at a cost of approximately €50,000, Casino Platja de Palma denounced the work in court and before the City Council. That action resulted in the premises being sealed by the city council after officials were prevented from gaining access to the building to verify the claims.

One hundred and eighty future employees of the casino made an appearance before the mayor of Palma José Hila to ask that the casino license be granted to Gran Casino Teatro Balear as soon as possible.

After beating out two other competitors, in November 2013, Gran Casino Teatro Balear was granted the license to open the second casino in Mallorca and was given 12 months to open the facility. However, due to a number of setbacks and legal delays, that hasn’t happened yet. In recent years, the Palma City Council has insisted that Gran Casino Teatro Balear breaches planning regulations for several reasons; including the gaming floor exceeding the 300 square meters its allotted; the building’s proximity to private homes; and the absence of parking spaces.

If Gran Casino Teatro Balear is finally granted permission by the city council, the development will cost €10m. The project includes renovating the old theater building and adding a casino with 13 gaming tables and 70 slots, restaurants and bars, meeting facilities, and an auditorium, according to the report.